By REYNALD MAGALLON
Gian Mamuyac provided the huge lift off the bench as Rain or Shine sent Terrafirma reeling to a record of misery of 19 straight defeats with a 106-94 victory in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, Oct. 2.
Mamuyac made sure of the opportunity given to him by head coach Yeng Guiao as he sparked a crucial 17-5 run bridging the third and the final frame that allowed the Elasto Painters to pull away from a gritty stand of the Dyip.
The Rain or Shine rookie dropped 15 points in the second half – most of it coming from the charity stripe to finish with 17 points on top of five rebounds, and provided ample support to import Steve Taylor Jr. who posted 20 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks.
The Dyip kept themselves within striking distance for the most part of the contest and were actually down by only four, 68-64, late in the third frame.
Mamuyac then triggered the massive uprising, drilling two three pointers towards the end of the third canto before scoring six straight points from the free throw line to take a commanding 15-point lead, 90-75, with 7:04 to go.
Terrafirma’s morale seemed to be shattered into pieces by that blazing run, even allowing Rain or Shine to further pad the lead to its highest at 18, 103-85, after an Andrei Caracut floater.
STILL RELIABLE
As reliable as ever Justin Brownlee took matters in his own hands and delivered when it mattered the most.
The resident import scored 13 points in the final frame – including the last eight points as Ginebra held off Meralco, 99-91, to bounce back from its horrendous debut against ROS.
With the Bolts still threatening to pull off a comeback after cutting the lead down to just six, 91-85 with 2:22 to go, Brownlee took charge and kept the Bolts at bay by his lonesome, scoring two free throws before scoring a layup and a floater.
Johnny O’Bryant kept Meralco within striking distance after cutting the lead down back to six with 45 seconds left but Brownlee iced the game with two pressure-packed free throws.
The Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player candidate finished with 34 points along with four rebounds and four assists, helping the Gin Kings bounce back from a 20-point loss against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
The scores:
First Game
RAIN OR SHINE 106 – Taylor Jr. 20, Mamuyac 17, Belga 12, Caracut 12, Santillan 8, Demusis 7, Torres 7, Nambatac 7, Nieto 5, Ponferrada 3, Ildefonso 3, Norwood 3, Asistio 2, Guinto 0.
TERRAFIRMA 94 – Prosper 20, Tiongson 17, Cabagnot 14, Munzon 11, Gomez de Liano 7, Calvo 6, Mina 5, Balagasay 5, Camson 4, Cahilig 3, Gabayni 2, Javelona 0.
Quartes: 28-20, 54-49, 75-66, 106-94.
Second Game
GINEBRA 99 – Brownlee 34, Pringle 16, Thompson 15, J.Aguilar 10, Malonzo 10, Standhardinger 10, Tenorio 4, Pessumal 0.
MERALCO 91 – O’Bryant 31, Maliksi 20, Black 14, Almazan 10, Pasaol 9, Quinto 3, Hodge 2, Banchero 2, Caram 0, Hugnatan 0.
Quarters: 26-22, 49-41, 73-65, 99-91
