RAIN of Shine overcame moments of complacency to subdue TerraFirma, 91-82, for its second straight win in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena in Pampanga.
Led by Rey Nambatac, Javee Mocon and Beau Belga, the E-Painters controlled the tempo of the game and led by as many as 16 points before beating the Dyip.
Nambatac, the hero in Rain or Shine’s 87-83 win over defending champion San Miguel Beer last Tuesday, finished with 19 points in 27 minutes.
Mocon added 14 points and 10 rebounds, Belga contributed 14 points and eight rebounds and Gabe Norwood had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in the victory.
CJ Perez led TerraFirma with 26 points, followed by Juami Tiongson with 15.
Rain or Shine led by as many as 13 points in the first half twice, 39-26 on a triple by Belga, and 42-29 on a split by Norwood.
Halftime score was 44-34.
Seven straight points by Tiongson put TerraFirma ahead for the first time at 52-50.
That proved to be shortlived, however.
The E-Painters promptlt countered with a 16-6 run to regain control, 66-58.
Actually, Glen Khobuntin hit a buzzer-beating triple from mid-court to make it 61-66.The shot was initially counted by the referees but was later nullified upon review.
Action resumes Saturday with Magnolia gunning for its second win when it plays Alaska in the main game.
Buoyed by their 103-100 win over NLEX, the Hotshots look to add to the Aces’ woes in their 6:45 p.m. encounter.
Alaska is 0-2 in the bubble.
“We expect a very hard game,” said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero during last Thursday’s Media Availability session.
“Kasi makakalaban namin galing sa talo,eh. Kagabi (Wednesday) pa lang, sinabi ko na sa kanila na Alaska will come out very, very strong because… 0-2 they have that sense of urgency to, you know, fight back, play hard. Nasa amin na iyon kung papaano kami mag-hahanda, kung papaano namin titingnan as a whole ‘yung game na iyon.” added Victolero.
Blackwater and NLEX square off at 4 p.m.
The Elite took a 99-103 setback to Barangay Ginebra in a game where Prince Caperal finished with 24 points, six rebounds and three assists.
The Road Warriors also dropped their bubble debut against the Gin Kings, 92-102.
Then the Road Warriors hen suffered an even more painful defeat to the Magnolia 100-103, where they squandered a 22-point advantage.
The scores:
Rain or Shine (91) –Nambatac 19, Belga 14, Mocon 14, Norwood 14, Onwubere 8, Rosales 6, Yap 4, Torres 4, Ponferada 3, Wong 3, Borboran 2, Tolentino 0. TerraFirma (82) — Perez 26, Tiongson 15, Khobuntin 12, Adams 10, Cahilig 7, Ramos 6, Camson 5, Celda 1, McCarthy 0, Calvo 0, Gabayni 0, Agovida 0, Balagasay 0. Quarterscores: 19-16, 44-34, 66-58, 91-82.
Games Saturday
(AUF Sports Arena)
4 p.m. — Blackwater vs. NLEX
6:45 p.m. — Alaska vs. Magnolia
