Rey Nambatac cast his endgame wizardry once again as Rain or Shine edged out Phoenix Super LPG, 90-88, to get back on track in the 2021-22 PBA Governors’ Cup, Thursday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The lefty gunner completed a wild three-point play off a Chris Banchero foul to finally put the Elasto Painters ahead with 22.2 seconds left, marking the beginning of the end for the Fuel Masters after leading for most of the match.
That big shot by the 27-year-old served as the exclamation point to RoS’ 12-2 retaliation from a 77-86 deficit with 8:05 to go in the final period.
Nambatac finished with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting to lead his side to the bounce-back victory after losing to Terrafirma last Saturday.
“I’m so proud of these guys for rising through adversity and battling for one another when our main guy Mocon was really having a bad game,” expressed head coach Chris Gavina.
Beau Belga produced 16 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. The veteran center was the one who nailed the three-pointer to pull Rain or Shine within two, before Nambatac shone by drawing a foul on Banchero.
Henry Walker made 15 points and seven rebounds, as rookie Santi Santillan added 13 and 10 in the win that hiked their card to 2-1.
“Henry told me at the half that we had to really fight this through and find a way. We’re glad we’re able to get through those first half jitters and really come out with a win today,” said Gavina as the returning import sparked the comeback.
Mark Borboran finished with eight points, including the split from the line in the final seconds that settled the final count. He ably stepped up as Javee Mocon only had six points on 2-of-15 shooting, and had a -25 plus-minus rating.
Meanwhile, Paul Harris led Phoenix with 17 points and 20 rebounds in the loss that foiled their bid to go 3-0 and share leadership with NLEX.
Banchero supplied 14 points. He tried to take matters into his own hands after that Nambatac make but lost hold of the ball with 10.6 ticks left. Borboran got the loose ball and was immediately fouled, leading to his trip to the line.
Banchero tried to make up for it afterward, but his potential game-tying turnaround jumper with three ticks left missed. Sean Manganti secured the miss but misfired as well, and Walker was there to haul such to end it.
Both squads will return to action on Sunday. Rain or Shine takes on Magnolia at 3:00 p.m., while Phoenix (2-1) battles Ginebra at 6:00 p.m.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine 90 – Nambatac 17, Belga 16, Walker 15, Santillan 13, Borboran 8, Mocon 6, Wong 6, Caracut 4, Norwood 3, Ponferrada 2, Jackson 0, Torres 0.
Phoenix 88 – Harris 17, Banchero 14, Manganti 11, Wright 10, Perkins 8, Melecio 8, Jazul 8, Rios 6, Garcia 4, Camacho 2, Muyang 0, Chua 0.
Quarterscores: 16-23, 44-50, 71-71, 90-88.
