Import-less Rain or Shine escapes luckless Terrafirma 

MANILA, Philippines – Leonard ‘Santi’ Santillan drilled the game-winning layup for import-less Rain or Shine, escaping with a 120-118 victory against Terrafirma in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Thursday, February 16, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Positioned on the right side of the floor, Rey Nambatac found Santillan, who slipped by opposing import Jordan Williams, and laid the ball in with 0.7 seconds left.

Prior to the possession, Williams tied things up after scoring a lefty layup that rolled around before trickling through the basket with 24.3 ticks to go, capping off an 11-3 run for the Dyip.

The big man from La Salle finished with 21 points and 6 rebounds in almost 31 minutes of play.

“The guys stepped up… the one thing that we wanted to accomplish was the ability to close games,” said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao.

“We wanted to know how to finish the game, we were underdogs, and this is really good development for us… trying to cope in adverse situations,” he added.

Elasto Painters import Greg Smith rode the bench after failing to secure a Letter of Clearance (LOC) from FIBA.

He last played in the Dominican Republic before replacing Michael Qualls, where he fired 38 points to give their side their first win.

Caracut waxed hot from downtown, nailing 6 triples en route to a career-high 25 points as the Elasto Painters tied their victims with a 2-4 record.

Forward Gabe Norwood had a throwback performance with 18 markers on 7-of-10 shooting.

Rain or Shine held the lead for most of the contest, leading by as many as 9, 31-22, in the second quarter.

Williams was held to a three-point display in the first half, before dropping 27 in the final 24 minutes to help Terrafirma storm back into the contest.

Juami Tiongson led the Dyip locals in scoring, having dropped 23 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting clip before fouling out with 1:26 remaining.

The Scores

Rain or Shine 120 – Caracut 25, Santillan 21, Norwood 18, Nambatac 14, Asistio 10, Belga 9, Borboran 8, Ildefonso 6, Yap 4, Ponferrada 3, Demusis 2, Clarito 0, Torres 0.

Terrafirma 118 – J.Williams 30, Tiongson 23, Camson 14, Cabagnot 13, Cahilig 13, Ramos 6, Gomez de Liano 6, Calvo 5, Gabayni 4, Alolino 3, Daquioag 1.

Quarters: 33-28, 59-57, 90-87, 120-118.

– Rappler.com