PBA: Gian Mamuyac's heroics lift Rain or Shine past Magnolia in heated affair

Gian Mamuyac came to the rescue as Rain or Shine overcame its early shooting woes to beat Magnolia, 91-82, in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup on Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Mamuyac scored seven points in the fourth quarter, but it was a pair of key steals from him that shifted the momentum as the Elasto Painters closed out the game on a 25–12 surge despite struggling with their shooting in the first half.

He tallied 25 points, five assists, two rebounds, three steals, and one block while import Jaylen Johnson poured in 25 markers as well together with 14 boards and four dimes as they survived the Hotshots.

Jhonard Clarito chipped in 18 points and nine rebounds while Adrian Nocum scored all eight of his points in the fourth to help fuel that late rally and bounce back from a previous loss to Phoenix.

"Gian played a great game. Actually, siya 'yung nag-anchor ng pace namin. Medyo mabagal kami nu'ng umpisa and we were also not making our shots," Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao said.

"We pushed the pace a little bit in the second half and medyo nakuha na namin 'yung rhythm namin. This is a tough win for us, we had to tough it out to win this game."

(Gian played a great game. Actually, he was the one who anchored our pace. We were kind of slow at the start and we were also not making our shots... We pushed the pace a little bit in the second half and we started to get our rhythm. This is a tough win for us, we had to tough it out to win this game.)

Rain or Shine, once the league’s hottest team after a 7–0 start, went cold offensively in the first half, hitting just 13 of 43 field goal attempts. Still, the Elasto Painters managed to stay within striking distance and headed into the break down by only three, 41–38.

Three straight baskets from Mamuyac to end the third allowed Rain or Shine to take a 66-62 lead, but Magnolia's import Clint Chapman sparked a personal 8-0 run to reclaim a 70-66 cushion to open the payoff period.

But Chapman was forced back to the bench after picking up his fifth foul with 8:20 remaining, allowing the Elasto Painters to capitalize on an all-Filipino Magnolia lineup and spark a 10–0 run led by Mamuyac and Nocum.

Johnson pushed Rain or Shine to an 87–80 lead after posterizing Zav Lucero with a one-handed slam at the 1:21 mark, but his celebration in front of the Hotshots did not sit well with Magnolia consultant Erick Arejola.

The moment sparked a verbal altercation between Arejola and Guiao, with both of them being assessed a technical foul each.

Mamuyac then sealed the victory with four straight free throws as Rain or Shine improved to 8-1 and improve its chances for a twice-to-beat bonus. Magnolia, meanwhile, dropped to 4-5.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News