Rain or Shine came to Bahrain with a mission and the Elasto Painters accomplished it in style, thanks in large part to Gian Mamuyac. The team now leads the standings of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup.
Rain or Shine found itself in unfamiliar territory on Tuesday, Dec. 16 — literally and figuratively.
This as the Elasto Painters secured the first twice-to-beat advantage in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals following a 101-92 win over Magnolia in Bahrain.
Rain or Shine is now perched atop the ivory tower alone with a superior 8-2 standing.
“Well unfamiliar territory sa’min ‘to kasi kami lagi dehado (sa quarterfinals),” said Gian Mamuyac, whose team entered the quarterfinals as the lower seed in the last two conferences.
Mamuyac had a lot to do with the rousing victory at the Khalifa Sports City Arena as he knocked down the last two baskets that sealed Rain or Shine’s fate.
His last field goal was an up-and-under shot that left the crowd in awe and ultimately gave the Elasto Painters a comfortable 101-91 spread with only 1:42 left to play.
The Hotshots, who suffered injury to key players Jerom Lastimosa (ankle) and Paul Lee (hamstring) in the first half, simply didn’t have an answer after that.
"Really proud of this team kasi I told them we came here in Bahrain not to have a vacation, not to enjoy, but to get that twice to beat. That job was done," said Mamuyac.
Before Mamuyac’s endgame salvo, Jhonard Clarito kept Rain or Shine in the driver’s seat with 21 points and 11 rebounds. He also had two assists, a steal and a block.
Caelan Tiongson also came up big with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Adrian Nocum submitted 13 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Mamuyac later said he couldn’t be any more proud of his crew.
“We deserve this. We worked hard for this pero the job is not done. Hindi naman ito goal namin. Our goal is to win a championship, to get into the finals and win a championship,” the Rain or Shine skipper said.
“Malayo pa. But it’s not bad to recognize the hardwork that this group has put in. Pero yun nga malayo pa at sana mag tuloy tuloy.”
Meanwhile, Mark Barroca paced Magnolia with 14 points, four rebounds, and five assists.
Stepping in after Lastimosa and Lee went out, Peter Alfaro scored 13 points while Javi Gomez de Liaño contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, and an assist.
Ian Sangalang and Rome dela Rosa added 10 points each for the Hotshots, who dropped to a share of fourth with Meralco, Converge, and NLEX.
Rain or Shine and Magnolia Scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 101 - Clarito 21, Mamuyac 14, Tiongson 14, Nocum 13, Pringle 9, Santillan 8, Porter 8, Norwood 4, Caracut 4, Malonzo 3, Belga 3, Lemetti 0, Ildefonso 0.
MAGNOLIA 92 - Barroca 14, Alfaro 13, Gomez de Liaño 12, Sangalang 12, Dela Rosa 12, Lucero 9, Lee 8, Koon 6, Verano 4, Laput 3, Lastimosa 3, Gomez 0.
Quarterscores: 27-24, 53-47, 81-69, 101-92
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.