Rain or Shine forces Game 7

James Yap with another reliable performance for Rain or Shine. PBA IMAGES

ANTIPOLO CITY—In a game where their foes kept trying to stick the dagger to their necks, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters fought off elimination by having some good ol’ fun.

“I just told the players to enjoy this game, to keep it simple and it worked,” said coach Caloy Garcia on Friday night after Rain or Shine forged a 91-81 Game 6 victory over Magnolia that stretched their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series to a Game 7.

Rey Nambatac keyed the victory when he waxed hot at the perfect moment, torching the nets with four triples in the fourth to help the Painters pull away even as James Yap capped a steady performance with a putback that ended the Hotshots’ run of success at Ynares Center here.

“I told them to not think about whatever happens and asked each one of them to play their game and stay relaxed,” Garcia added.

The ploy worked.

Yap and Nambatac chipped in 16 points each while Beau Belga added 15 for Rain or Shine, which also got a boost from Jewel Ponferrada, who came up with a glittering performance in the third quarter to keep the Painters in the thick of things en route to 11 points off the bench.

Both teams were tied at 62 entering the fourth before Nambatac went on a three-point barrage—just a game after the Painters lost Game 5 because, according to Garcia, they took too many three-point shots.

By the time the former Letran star hit his last triple, Rain or Shine was up, 83-71, 3:54 to play.

Paul Lee and Ian Sangalang tried to revive Magnolia in the stretch but Rain or Shine kept finding answers. The Hotshots were within nine and forced the Painters to an empty possession for a chance to cut the lead, but Yap picked up the loose ball and stuck a reverse to make it 90-79.

“[Going] into Game 7, we just have to do the same,” Garcia said of their sudden-death match scheduled on Sunday at MOA Arena in Pasay.

“We just have to give it our all,” Nambatac said of that game.

“But,” Garcia warned, “Magnolia, coming into such situation, has much more experience. We just have to trust each other.”

Rain or Shine ended Magnolia’s eight-game streak at Ynares Center, where they were crowned Governor’s Cup champions last December. The Hotshots’ last loss here came on Sept. 17, 2017, against TNT.