bound Sol Mercado exploded with a personal conference-high 26 points, 19 of them in the fourth quarter, to lead the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to a stunning 110-107 win against the league-leading San Miguel Beermen Sunday night in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. The victory was the Painters' second straight and fourth overall against four losses. The loss snapped San Miguel's tournament-best five-game winning streak. However, the Beermen still remained on top of the standings together with the Talk N Text Tropang Texters, both with a 6-2 win-loss card. In the nightcap of the double-header, the Texters overcame a gritty challenge from the Barako Bull Energy Boosters to hack out an 84-83 win. Jimmy Alapag led the Texters with 16 points while Asian Games-bound Kelly Williams scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Three other Texters scored in double-digits. Their fifth loss in seven games sent the Boosters to the bottom of the standings in the company of the B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados.
