By JONAS TERRADO
Rain or Shine extended the record losing streak of Blackwater after bucking a slow start to take a 92-79 win in the PBA Governors’ Cup Thursday, Dec. 9 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The Elasto Painters leaned on a big third quarter to pull away behind import Henry Walker and Rey Nambatac, handing the new-look Bossing their 20th consecutive defeat despite making a series of moves in the aftermath of a winless Philippine Cup campaign.
Walker, playing for his fourth PBA team, had 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks while Nambatac scored 13 of his 16 points in his first appearance since signing a three-year extension.
Javee Mocon also scored 16 points with nine rebounds and four assists, Gabe Norwood helped Rain or Shine make its initial rally in the second quarter on his way to 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals even as Beau Belga added 10.
Coach Chris Gavina praised his team for battling back after Blackwater raced to 22-9 start and taking control of the contest in the third after ROS trailed 41-35 at the break.
“Everybody talks about our culture of just finding a way and our players just found a way today,” said Gavina.
ROS scored 14 straight to begin the third with Nambatac hitting two triples and Walker scoring five for a 49-41 lead. The Elasto Painters also held the Bossing to a 4-of-16 shooting for 25 percent that helped them extend the gap to 66-53 going into the fourth.
The margin went up to 20 points, 78-58, on Beau Belga’s layup with seven minutes left in the contest.
Five players scored in double figures for Blackwater, with new addition Rashawn McCarthy putting up 15 points and import Jaylen Bond registering 13 points, 11 rebounds and three steals.
In the first game, Phoenix Super LPG rallied from being down 17 in the third quarter before preventing a late mishap to outlast Terrafirma, 103-100.
Balik-import Paul Harris, Matthew Wright, Jason Perkins and Chris Banchero sparked the comeback as the Fuel Masters overcame a tough Dyip side powered by debuting reinforcement Antonio Hester.
Behind Hester, Terrafirma led 67-50 in the third and was up 90-77 following an Aldrech Ramos triple with 7:41 remaining in the fourth when Wright scored 10 in a 14-1 run to tie the count.
Ramos ended the run with a triple for 94-91 but Phoenix outscored Terrafirma, 9-1, for a 100-95 lead.
Terrafirma tried to make a rally late with Juami Tiongson converted a three-point play to trail 100-98. Harris hit two charities, Cabagnot scored a layup before Perkins was sent to the line, six seconds to go.
Perkins missed both foul shots, giving the Dyip a chance to tie or take the lead with no timeouts. But Cabagnot couldn’t catch Hester’s pass, forcing the ball to go out of bounds.
Baser Amer added 14 points and seven assists while Jvee Casio made 10 points and three rebounds in his first game since being dealt from Alaska.
New Bossing coach Ariel Vanguardia saw his team start strong but the Elasto Painters came back in the second as Belga and Norwood made some baskets and Walker scored a jumper for a 30-28 lead.
The scores:
FIRST GAME
PHOENIX 103 — Harris 24, Banchero 18, Perkins 18, Wright 17, Jazul 9, Muyang 6, Manganti 4, Garcia 3, Chua 2, Pascual 2, Rios 0, Melecio 0, Tamsi 0.
TERRAFIRMA 100 — Hester 28, Tiongson 20, Cabagnot 12, Ramos 9, Cahilig 8, Adams 6, Ganuelas-Rosser 5, Celda 5, Gabayni 3, Camson 2, Pascual 2, Balagasay 0, Batiller 0
Quarters: 30-25, 42-52, 67-77, 103-100.
SECOND GAME
RAIN OR SHINE 92 — Walker 20, Nambatac 16, Mocon 16, Norwood 11, Belga 10, Jackson 5, Ponferrada 4, Asistio 3, Caracut 3, Santillan 3, Tolentino 1, Wong 0, Torres 0.
BLACKWATER 79 — McCarthy 15, Amer 14, Ebona 14, Bond 13, Casio 10, Desiderio 5, Paras 3, Escoto 3, McAloney 2, Chauca 0, Daquioag 0, Canaleta 0, Torralba 0.
Quarters: 14-24, 35-41, 66-53, 92-79.
