By REYNALD MAGALLON
There was no better way for Gabe Norwood’s final flight to take off than how it did on Saturday, Oct. 10.
The veteran forward came through in the clutch, delivering a crucial putback that sent the game into an extension before the rest of Rain or Shine put on the finishing touches to escape with a thrilling 96-95 overtime win over Meralco in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Montalban.
Playing for his last conference with the Elasto Painters, Norwood made sure their campaign would start on a high note as he sent the game to the extra period with a followup on an Adrian Nocum miss to tie the game at 90-all with 1.7 seconds left.
The momentum from that crucial play carried into the extra period, where Anton Asistio and Caelan Tiongson delivered on the offensive end.
Meralco, led by Chris Banchero, rallied and threatened to steal the win, but Norwood, Gian Mamuyac and Jhonard Clarito came up with a huge defensive stand to secure the win.
Tiongson spearheaded Rain or Shine with 23 points and 10 rebounds – particularly during a stretch in the last five minutes of regulation where the Elasto Painters erased an 80-89 deficit to tie the game.
Norwood, who earlier announced his retirement at the end of the all-Filipino conference, had 11 points, while Keith Datu contributed seven rebounds. Nocum and Andrei Caracut finished with 10 points apiece.
Meanwhile, Juan Gomez de Liano announced his PBA arrival with a bang, registering a triple-double, while Justin Arana delivered a dominant 20-20 performance as Converge demolished Titan Ultra, 129-92.
The FiberXers broke the game wide open with a blistering 14-0 run in the second quarter and never looked back, cruising to a 37-point rout that handed the Giant Risers a harsh dose of reality following their stunning upset of the Meralco Bolts.
Arana led six Converge players in double figures with 28 points and 22 rebounds, while Gomez de Liano lived up to the hype in his debut after scattering 15 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Schonny Winston added 16 points, Justin Baltazar added a double-double with 15 points and rebounds, Alec Stockton provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, and veteran Kevin Racal contributed 12 points.
Titan Ultra hang tough against Converge through one and a half quarters with the FiberXers unloading the fiery run that turned a 33-27 lead into a comfortable 47-27 cushion.
The scores:
Rain or Shine 96 – Tiongson 23, Datu 11, Norwood 11, Caracut 10, Nocum, Lemetti 9, Asistio 6, Mamuyac 5, Ildefonso 5, Malonzo 4, Clarito 2, Porter 0, Belga 0, Porter 0.
Meralco 95 — Quinto 18, Cansino 18, Almazan 12, Newsome 12, Banchero 9, Bates 8, Black 6, Caram 5, Hodge 5, Maliksi 2, Pascual 0.
Quarters: 24-28; 50-44; 70-81; 90-90 (reg), 96-95.
