Rain or Shine keeps QF hopes alive
RAIN OR SHINE played with a strong sense of resiliency throughout to win back-to-back games at the expense of Blackwater, 107-90, on Wednesday in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto Painters survived an atrocious first half with a solid offensive game in the last two quarters where they outscored the Bossing—37-23 and 29-22—to improve to 3-6 won-lost and keep their hopes for the playoffs alive.
Gunner Rey Nambatac nailed 15 of his third career best 26 points in the last two quarters and also grabbed seven rebounds, while rookie Gean Mamuyac tallied a conferencehigh 20 points, 14 he made in the second half, for the Elasto Painters.
“As a veteran, I always tell the players to enjoy every game, believe in each other and in our system,” said Nambatac, who also made 12 of 13 free throws.
Big man Norbert Torres nailed a three-pointer to make it 99-83 with two and a half minutes left and Andrei Caracut split his charities with 34 seconds remaining for Rain or Shine’s biggest lead at 105-86.
Their back against the wall, the Elasto Painters overcame a sluggish 13-of-40 shooting in the first half by sinking 13 of 24 shots in the third and 9 of 17 attempts in the fourth quarter.
The Bossing, on the other hand, went 8 of 20 in the third quarter and 6 of also of 20 shots in the final period.
“It’s definitely hitting a nail right on the head with resiliency. Our guys were able to put together two excellent performances [in two games],” said Rain or Shine coach Chris Gavina, whose wards beat the NLEX Road Warriors, 96-86, last Saturday.
“Being consistent is a talent and being excellent is a habit, which we were able to do today,” he added.
Veterans Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood added 12 and 10 points, respectively, for Rain or Shine.
Rookie Brandon Rosser-ganuelas had a career-high 19 points for the Bossing, who fell to 5-3 with still three games left in their elimination round schedule.