Gian Mamuyac remains defiant even as Rain or Shine absorbed its fifth loss in as many outings in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup, Wednesday.
The sophomore winger opted to stick to the positives after dropping another tight affair, this time a 115-110 decision to San Miguel, offering that the youth-laden squad is showing that it could go toe-to-toe with the big guns.
But it’s never lost on him the reality that they are one of only two winless teams in the ongoing conference, the other being Converge (0-4).
“‘Yun nga po eh, lahat heartbreaking losses,” he told reporters of their skid moments after the match at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Pero at least napu-prove namin na we can play with the big teams. We can really compete with them. Siguro, konting-konting tweaks na lang talaga.”
Mamuyac himself tried to will Rain or Shine to its first win of the tilt by setting a new career-high in points with 33, 13 of which he manufactured in the first quarter alone to lead his side to a promising 32-21 advantage.
But the Beermen’s experience was just too much, bouncing back in the middle quarters before Marcio Lassiter finished it with a clutch trey in the final minute.
“Career-high nga po kaso wala pa rin kaming panalo, so balewala rin,” lamented the 24-year-old, who shot an efficient 11-of-17 from the field.
If anything, ‘Mamu’ said that the loss still saw some positives such as the arrival of new guys Demetrious Treadwell and Adrian Nocum, both of which could be key as they all try to get that first win this conference.
Treadwell, the replacement for Dajuan Summers, had eight points, 15 rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks. Nocum, on the other hand, showed why the team signed him to a two-year deal with 12 points and three rebounds.
Mamuyac also liked the way they rebounded against SMB, 51-51, which for them is a win per se given that it’s a facet they’ve been concerned about.
“Konting tweaks na lang and hopefully magkaroon pa kami for this conference. Kasi hindi pa naman kami out po, ‘di ba? Lalaban po kami. Kilala niyo naman kami, Rain or Shine, mga bata ni Coach Yeng, lalaban at lalaban kami.”
