Painters rue losing bigs to injury, find other ways to win

Updated: March 18, 2026

Rain or Shine’s Keith Datu (25)(PBA Images)

MANILA, Philippines — Injury woes on their big men continue to hound the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, but the team found ways to grab a 91-80 victory over the Phoenix Fuel Masters in their PBA Philippine Cup clash on Wednesday. 

Already reeling from injuries to big men Caelan Tiongson and Luis Villegas and guard Stanley Pringle, bruiser Keith Datu also went down with a hurt knee against Phoenix.

Datu rolled to the basket at the 7:56 mark of the third quarter, and he seemingly slipped and fell hard on the floor, clutching his right knee.

He did not return in the game, as he finished with nine points, four rebounds and three assists in almost 16 minutes of play. 

After the game, Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao said that they had problems containing the big frontline of Phoenix with the absences of their players. 

“Yun nga, ganoon na lang parati. Parang finding ways na lang to win, no? I'm not really happy with the way we played, especially in the first half. We really had problems with rebounding. They're a lot bigger team than we are. Plus, yun nga, nawala pa si Keith. Caelan still not available,” he told reporters after the game. 

“Yun nga, we're trying to manage both minutes. Hindi namin siya masyadong pinupuwersa. So kulang talaga kami sa bigs, manpower namin. But we're struggling but we're still here. We're finding ways to win,” he added. 

The hole in the middle was evident against the Fuel Masters, as the frontline of Jason Perkins, Sean Manganti and Kai Ballungay was almost too big to overcome. 

But Rain or Shine’s guards and wings clicked in the fourth quarter to help Rain or Shine break the game open. 

“We had some problems containing Jason Perkins for a stretch. He was just having his way in the middle. Because nga, kulang kami sa malaki. Yung laki ng katawan ni Gabe, yun na lang ang pinanglalaban namin dun sa katawan ni Perkins. But, paid off. Again, it's the character, it's the toughness,” Guiao said. 

“We're getting used to finding ways to win but I would rather win yung medyo maluwag-luwag. Hindi yung masyadong nahihirapan. Again, the score does not reflect the closeness of the game. If you look at the score, I think it's a double digit lead. But, it's a lot closer than that,” he added. 

“We played better defense in the last quarter. Then, yung timely shots ni Anton, Mamu played a great game, Adrian played a great game.” 

The status of Tiongson is expected to become clearer in the coming days, while Pringle is still “feeling some pain.” 

The coach then joked that Villegas, who is still recovering from an ACL injury, will be ready “siguro by 2030.” 

The PBA will have a break for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers window from November 16 to December 4. 

Rain or Shine is currently in solo lead with a 5-1 win-loss record. Phoenix dropped to 1-5.