Gabe Norwood flexed his veteran poise as Rain or Shine came from behind and frustrated Terrafirma, 83-77, to snap their two-game skid in the 2021 Honda PBA Philippine Cup, Sunday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The 36-year-old scored eight straight to power a rousing 18-0 firestorm en route to flipping a six-point deficit to a 79-67 lead with 5:24 left to play, and the Elasto Painters went on to complete the comeback from as much as 15 down.
Norwood, now in his 13th season, finished with 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals as RoS improved to 4-2.
“Terrafirma made us fight until the end,” said RoS head coach Chris Gavina post-game. “It wasn’t until the fourth quarter where we started trapping them, and we were able to get all defensive stops.
“It started with just … good vibes in the fourth quarter. And we utilized our defensive energy to kind of fire up our offense,” continued Gavina, who used to coach Kia.
Rey Nambatac has regained his touch after scoring just a total of nine points during their skid, as he finished with 17 points in the victory. Adrian Wong made his presence felt as well with 15 markers.
The Elasto Painters have shot much better compared to their last two games especially from beyond the arc, making 14 of their 38 attempts after going just 10-of-64 in their losses versus Alaska and TNT.
“If we’re able to knock down shots and we can combine it with our defense, then we can really make noise as we move forward,” said Gavina.
Juami Tiongson, meanwhile, had 20 points and seven assists to lead Terrafirma, who remains winless after four outings.
Sophomore forward Roosevelt Adams made 13 points and 16 rebounds, while JP Calvo supplied 11 points and eight boards. Young guns Bonbon Batiller and Joseph Gabayni contributed 10 markers apiece.
The Dyip were without 2021 top pick Joshua Munzon, who will be out for six weeks after undergoing surgery in his left hand.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine (83) — Nambatac 17, Norwood 15, Wong 15, Borboran 9, Mocon 7, Torres 6, Santillan 6, Belga 4, Caracut 2, Ponferada 2, Guinto 0, Johnson 0.
Terrafirma (77) — Tiongson 20, Adams 13, Calvo 11, Batiller 10, Gabayni 10, Camson 7, Ramos 4, Cahilig 2, Laput 0.
Quarterscores: 21-27, 40-45, 61-65, 83-77.
