Rey Nambatac bounced back and led Rain or Shine past Terra Firma, 91-82, to go 2-0 in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup Friday at the Smart 5G-powered Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center in Pampanga.
Sinking just a field goal in the Elasto Painters’ win over San Miguel last Tuesday, the third-year guard shot 42-percent from the field on his way to a team-high 19 points, along with three assists, two rebounds, and two steals.
Nambatac sank three three-pointers, none bigger than the one he sank a few feet away from the right-wing with 2:42 left to play that halted the CJ Perez-driven Dyip’s rally from 16 points down.
Terra Firma chopped a 66-82 deficit to just six with 3:31 left in the game following a 10-0 run until Nambatac hit that shot, followed by Gabe Norwood’s back-to-back buckets that proved to be the finishing touches.
“Rey today was more aggressive in scoring,” said coach Caloy Garcia. “Last game, he was trying to feed other players. Rey is a great player. He’s gonna end up as one of those superstars ng PBA. That’s what I see in him because he has the guts to take shots. We were already playing bad, he came in and he started hitting those three-point shots from way far from the three-point line.”
Norwood was like his younger self in the win as he finished with 14 points, highlighted by his putback dunk early in the fourth that saw him outjump two Dyip defenders. He also had six boards, four dimes, and three blocks.
“Sa sistema naman namin, we allow everybody … Practically everybody’s taking shots in this team. We allow that, and maybe ‘yung kay Gabe, nanonood kasi ‘yung anak niya sa virtual fans eh. Maybe ginanahan siya,” said Garcia.
Javee Mocon notched a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, yet another solid outing after scoring 25 versus the Beermen. Beau Belga poured the same amount of points in the win.
“We’re lucky that we’re 2-0 now, but we can’t be complacent about it,” warned the veteran bench tactician. “It’s gonna be a tough game every night. Mahirap kasi ‘yung ‘di pa ganoon ka-healthy ‘yung player na naglalaro sila, especially in back-to-back games. We just have to prepare and hope that the other players off the bench can produce also.”
Perez filled up the stat sheet with 26 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, five steals, and two blocks in nearly 39 minutes to lead Terra Firma, who has now dropped back-to-back games inside the bubble.
Juami Tiongson supplied 15 points, seven of which came in consecutive fashion in the third canto that gave the Dyip a 52-50 lead with 5:16 to go. Glenn Khobuntin had 12 points while rookie Roosevelt Adams added 10.
Rain or Shine returns to action on Sunday, Oct. 18, against the 0-2 NorthPort at 4:00 p.m., while Terra Firma looks to avoid going down 0-3 versus the defending five-time champions on Monday, Oct. 19, at 6:45 p.m.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine (91) – Nambatac 19, Norwood 14, Mocon 14, Belga 14,Onwubere 8, Rosales 6, Yap 4, Torres 4, Wong 3, Ponferada 3, Borboran 2, Rivero 0, Tolentino 0, Doliguez 0, Arana 0.
Terra Firma (82) – Perez 26, Tiongson 15, Khobuntin 12, Adams 10, Cahilig 7, Ramos 6, Camson 5, Celda 1, Calvo 0, McCarthy 0, Faundo 0, Gabayni 0, Agovida 0, Batiller 0, Balagasay 0.
Quarterscores: 19-16, 44-34, 66-58, 91-82.
