Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Rey Nambatac sends Blackwater crashing, lifts Rain or Shine to semis


Thanks to Rey Nambatac, Rain or Shine turned back the Blackwater Elite, 85-83, in their quarterfinal rubber match to complete the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals cast, Wednesday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The sophomore guard led the Elasto Painters’ 17-2 rally that turned an eight-point deficit to an 82-77 lead with 1:46 to go in the final frame. He then sank the go-ahead jumper with 18.5 ticks left to give his side the lead for good.

Nambatac finished with a game-high 21 points, on top of four rebounds, four steals, and two assists.

“Medyo speechless ako. Nambatac carried us in this game. Lumalabas talaga ‘yung maturity ni Rey,” lauded Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia of the Letran product, whom RoS picked seventh in the 2017 Draft.

Another member of the Elasto Painters’ youth brigade, Javee Mocon, made his presence felt in the victory as well. He produced all-around numbers of 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and a steal in over 36 minutes of play.

Import Carl Montgomery collected 14 points and a game-best 23 rebounds, as well as two assists, two steals, and a block. Veteran slotman Beau Belga chimed in 10 markers, 10 caroms, and three dimes.

Mac Belo had 16 points, five rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and an assist to set the pace for Blackwater.

Belo’s last six points came from back-to-back three-pointers, which enabled the Elite to tie the game up at 83-all with 35.9 seconds left to play. But then, it all went for naught as Nambatac nailed the elbow jumper just seconds later.

#ReadMore  Cignal Ultra ends Laus Playbook Esports streak in The Nationals DOTA 2

Ray Parks had 16 points as well, while import Greg Smith made 15 points, 18 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the defeat. Allein Maliksi had 14 points and six rebounds, while point guard Mike Cortez added 10 markers.

With the win, Rain or Shine will meet the San Miguel Beermen in the semis – their first semifinal meeting since the 2016 edition of the same conference. Their best-of-five series starts this Saturday, July 27, still at the Big Dome.


The Scores:

Rain or Shine 85 – Nambatac 21, Mocon 15, Montgomery 14, Belga 10, Norwood 7, Ponferada 6, Torres 5, Rosales 4, Borboran 3, Onwubere 0, Alejandro 0.

Blackwater 83 – Belo 16, Parks 16, Smith 15, Maliksi 14, Cortez 10, DiGregorio 5, Desiderio 3, Sumang 2, Al-Hussaini 2, Sena 0.

Quarterscores: 23-31, 38-45, 65-69, 85-83.

Written By

Oftentimes on the sidelines. Forever a student of the game. Morayta-bred.


You May Also Like

Basketball

Robert Bolick and Javee Mocon saved NLEX from losing its wheels against the gritty Converge, 88-83, to gain a share of the pole position...

Basketball

Javee Mocon has signed a one-year contract extension with NLEX. The signing ceremony took place Thursday at the NLEX office in Balintawak, with key...

Basketball

ANTIPOLO – Rey Nambatac is hoping to reduce his time on the sidelines now that he’s treading the road to recovery after suffering a...

Basketball

ANTIPOLO – TNT leaned on its star troika in stopping the surging Rain or Shine from its tracks, 111-103, for its fourth successive victory...

Basketball

Rain or Shine dealt Magnolia its first loss of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup following a 119-105 statement win at the Ynares Center...

Basketball

Just as TNT was beginning to find its rhythm in the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup, the Tropang 5G suffered another setback in their grand...

Basketball

NLEX continued its onslaught in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup after adding Terrafirma to its list of victims, 117-87, Wednesday at the Ninoy...

Basketball

Roger Pogoy came alive in the fourth quarter as TNT left Meralco a frustrated bunch, 101-84, to continue turning the corner in its PBA...

Advertisement