Rain or Shine suffered its third consecutive loss in the 2023 William Jones Cup after a narrow 71-73 defeat against the United Arab Emirates on Monday afternoon at the Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
Consecutive three-pointers from Rashed Alzaabi and Hamid Albreiki, combined with four crucial turnovers by Rain or Shine in the final four minutes of play, granted UAE a three-point lead, 69-72.
Nick Demusis’ two successful free throws, along with a turnover from UAE’s Terry Thomas, kept Rain or Shine in contention. However, the Philippine team failed to secure the defensive rebound following two missed free throws by Thomas.
Thomas retrieved his own rebound and ran down the clock to 4.5 seconds, prompting UAE to engage in a free throw strategy. Hamid Albreiki then split his free throws, securing their first victory in the tournament, 71-73.
After Anton Asistio sank all three of his long-range shots in the third quarter, propelling the Elasto Painters to a six-point lead, 53-47, Hamid Albreiki spearheaded his team’s 12-0 run against Rain or Shine, extending it until the 7:01 mark of the final quarter, resulting in a score of 53-59.
Nick Evans and Demusis led Rain or Shine in their losing effort with 12 points each, while Asistio contributed nine points, two assists, and two rebounds.
Rain or Shine aims to break their three-game losing streak against Qatar tomorrow at the same venue.
Hamid Albreiki guided UAE to their first victory in the Jones Cup with 22 points, three rebounds, three assists, and six steals, while Qais Alshabebi and Rashed Alzaabi scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. (Ernest Martin Tuazon)
The Scores:
United Arab Emirates 73 – H. Albreiki 22, Alshabebi 11, Alzaabi 10, Mohammad 9, Thomas 7, Alameri 5, A. Albreiki 4, Alhashmi 2, Ahmad 1, M. Albreiki 0, Alsawan 0
Rain or Shine 71 – Evans 12, Demusis 12, Asistio 9, Mamuyac 8, Kouame 8, Nambatac 7, Santillan 5, Belo 3, Norwood 3, Ponferrada 2, Borboran 2, Ildefonso 0
Quarterscores: 14-11, 21-22, 18-19, 18-21
