REY Nambatac made sure Santi Santillan’s sterling efforts would not go to waste by hitting the game-winner as Rain or Shine scored a 95-93 squeaker over San Miguel Beer yesterday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
Receiving the ball near the right corner, Nambatac worked his way closer to the basket before launching his shot against three defenders. The ball kissed off the glass and gave the Elasto Painters the two-point lead that stood inthe last two seconds when the Beermen’s lastditch offense went nowhere.
The win came on the heels of Rain or Shine’s equally thrilling 75-72 upset of Magnolia last Friday for a 6-4 slate and a clearer path to the quarterfinals. Another victory in their last elimination round games against NorthPort and the E-Painters are surely in.
The loss cut short SMB’s two-game roll as the Beermendropped to 5-3 and now needto rack up more Ws against Magnolia, Phoenix and Alaska to advance to the next round and stoke its chances of clinching a top two slot and a win-once advantage in the last eight.
Santillan pointed Rain or Shine in the right direction when he exploded for all 21 points in the second half in leading the team’s fightback through its youth brigade that also featured JaveeMocon, Nambatac, AldreCaracut and Anton Asistio.
Santillan’s first of three triples for the game gave the E-Painters a 72-69 lead at the end of the third period and his last point of the game made it a 93-89 count, 52.3 ticks left.
SMB was far from done, however, with June Mar Fajardo’s charities and CJ Perez’s layup off his own steal tying the game for the last time at 93, 12.5 seconds to go.
