Gian Mamuyac provided the huge lift off the bench as Rain or Shine sent Terrafirma reeling to a record of misery of 19 straight defeats with a 106-94 victory in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, Oct. 2.
Seeing limited action in the first two games of the conference, Mamuyac made sure that he would make the most of the opportunity given to him by head coach Yeng Guiao as he sparked a crucial 17-5 run bridging the third and the final frame that allowed the Elasto Painters to pull away from a gritty stand from the Dyip.
The Rain or Shine rookie dropped 15 points in the second half – most of it coming from the charity stripe to finish with 17 points on top of five rebounds, and provided ample support to import Steve Taylor Jr. who posted 20 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks.
The Dyip kept themselves within striking distance for the most part of the contest and were actually down by only four, 68-64, late in the third frame. Mamuyac then triggered the massive uprising, drilling two three pointers towards the end of the third canto before scoring sixstraight points from the free throw line to take a commanding 15-point lead, 90-75, with 7:04 to go.
Terrafirma’s morale seemed to be shattered into pieces by that blazing run, even allowing Rain or Shine to further pad the lead to its highest at 18, 103-85, after an Andrei Caracut floater.
Caracut and Beau Belga were the other double-digit scorers for ROS with 12 points apiece.
Lester Prosper, after exploding for at least 41 points in his first two games, was contained by the Rain or Shine defense and only finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Juami Tiongson also continued to impress with 17 points while veteran Alex Cabagnot added 14 which all went down the drain as Terrafirma couldn’t score a victory it last tasted back in last season's Governor's Cup.