The young guns of the Rain or Shine continue to flourish under the system of new coach Yeng Guiao.
Barely utilized in the first two games of the Elasto Painters, rookie Gian Mamuyac came off the bench and produced solid numbers in Rain or Shine’s 106-94 victory over the Terrafirma Dyip in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday.
Mamuyac finished with 17 points and five rebounds as Rain or Shine improved its win-loss record to 2-1.
Import Steve Taylor Jr. provided the energy for the Elasto Painters, contributing 20 points, 24 rebounds, and three blocks.
Andrei Caracut, a sophomore guard, tallied 12 markers, the same output produced by Beau Belga, who hit 5-of-6 shots from the field.
Top gun Rey Nambatac hit only 1-of-7 shooting from the field and ended up with seven points.
The Elasto Painters came out with an all-out mentality against a Terrafirma team desperate to win. The Dyip lost for the 19th straight game, the second longest losing skid in PBA history.
The Dyip dropped to 0-3, joining the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters at the cellar.
Guiao stressed the importance of playing with urgency against the Dyip.
“We know that Terrafirma is bound to win anytime after that long losing skid and fortunately it didn’t happen against us. For three quarters, they were playing good basketball, but couldn’t sustain it in the end,” Guiao said.
Terrafirma’s 19 losses in a row now stand as the second all-time longest losing skid in a season after surpassing the previous record of Great Taste in 1980.
Blackwater holds the longest losing streak of 29 games last season.
For Guiao, winning back-to-back games is good for his young team.
“We tried to pick up the positivities from our last game,” Guiao said. “That game (against Ginebra) really gave us a lot of confidence. It gave us trust in ourselves, that we can win together as a team and that maybe we can compete in this conference.”
“Our energy in practice was even elevated to another level, so we just brought it here in this game against Terrafirma.”
The scores:
Rain or Shine (106) — Taylor 20, Mamuyac 17, Caracut 12, Belga 12, Santillan 8, Nambatac 7, Torres 7, Demusis 7, Nieto 5, Ponferada 3, Norwood 3, Ildefonso 3, Asistio 2, Guinto 0.
Terrafirma (94) — Prosper 20, Tiongson 17, Cabagnot 14, Munzon 11, Gomez de Liano 7, Calvo 6, Mina 5, Balagasay 5, Camson 4, Cahilig 3, Gabayni 2, Javelona 0.
Quarterscores: 28-20; 54-49; 75-66; 106-94.
