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Rain or Shine downs Alaska behind Chan's big second half

Ryan Arana dribbles against Cyrus Baguio. (Nuki Sabio/PBA Images)

Jeff Chan scored all his 24 points in the second half and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters bounced back from a stinging defeat to Barako Bull with a masterful 92-78 over the Alaska Aces to get back on track in the 2014 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

After a listless first half, Chan sank six triples, including a rare four-point play, in the third and fourth quarters to help the E-Painters notch their first win against a solitary loss while sending the Aces to their third loss in four games.

Chan went 8-of-13 from the field, including 6-of-10 from three-point land, and almost single-handedly quelled an Alaska uprising early in the fourth period that saw the Aces reduce a 19-point deficit to just four.

Chan scattered 12 points in the third period as the Elasto Painters slowly pulled away. Two free throws by Paul Lee gave Rain or Shine its biggest lead of the game at 69-50 with 1:27 left in the third before the Aces closed out the quarter with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit down to 11 entering the fourth.

Alaska quickly picked up where it left off in the fourth. A 10-3 run capped by a short stab by Sonny Thoss made it 72-68 with 8:25 left. But the E-Painters regrouped, with Chan re-entering the game after a brief break and sinking three triples, the last one beating the shot clock and giving the E-Painters an 85-73 lead with five minutes to go.

The scores:

Rain or Shine (92) -- Chan 24, McLean 19, Lee 11, Almazan 9, Tiu 9, Arana 8, Rodriguez 4, Cruz 3, Belga 2, Tang 2, Norwood 1, Teng 0, Ibanes 0.

Alaska (78) -- Dozier 27, Jazul 9, Thoss 8, Hontiveros 7, Casio 5, Abueva 5, Manuel 5, Dela Cruz 2.

Quarterscores: 18-17; 38-32; 69-58; 92-78