Blackwater stuns Rain for 1st victory in PH Cup

STEADY play down the stretch enabled Blackwater to pull off a hard-earned 92-87 upset victory over Rain or Shine to list its first win in the 2017-18 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City last night.

Sophomore Mac Belo, after a forgettable campaign in the last two conferences of his rookie season, reintroduced himself to the league, scoring a game-high 25 points, including five treys, to go with seven rebounds and two blocks for Blackwater.

He also hitt a key triple that put the Elite out of harm’s way in crunch time.

Not far behind, Mike DiGregorio was likewise brilliant for the Elite, scoring 23 points of his own, plus three rebounds and four assists.

It was neck-to-neck for almost the entire time and the game was hanging in the balance entering the last two minutes, with the Elite only ahead by a basket, 87-85.

But Belo’s triple from the left elbow extended Blackwater’s lead to 90-85 and even as Rain or Shine stayed within striking distance in the waning seconds, DiGregorio’s two free throws with 11.6 ticks left iced the game for the Elite and settled the final tally.

Blackwater and Rain or Shine now carry identical 1-1 cards after two games thus far.

Early in the second quarter, Rain or Shine erected several 10-point leads but Blackwater stayed in it as the Elasto Painters instead carried just a 47-44 lead at the turn.

From there, the Elite carried their momentum in the second half as they stood their ground and eventually overtook the Painters when it mattered down the stretch.

By the end of third period, Blackwater was already ahead, 65-64.

Chris Tiu led the Painters with a team-high 14 points.

The scores: 

Blackwater 92—Belo 25, Digregorio 23, Jose 13, Maliksi 10, Erram 8, Pinto 7, Sumang 5, Sena 2, Marcelo 0. 

Rain or Shine 87—Tiu 14, Norwood 13, Daquioag 13, Almazan 10, Maiquez 8, Belga 7, Borboran 6, Yap 5, Trollano 4, King 3, Ponferada 2, Nambatac 2. 

Quarters: 25-28, 47-44, 65-64, 92-87