Nick Demusis leads rally but Rain or Shine falters vs UAE to go 0-3 in Jones Cup

Nick Demusis steered Rain or Shine's late rally but the Philippine representatives fell short in the endgame to absorb a 73-71 loss to United Arab Emirates and remain winless in the 2023 William Jones Cup on Monday in Taiwan.

The Elasto Painters dropped to 0-3 while erstwhile winless UAE improved to 1-2 at their expense.

Anton Asistio unleashed three triples in the third period as Rain or Shine went to a 53-47 lead before Hamid Abdullateef Albreiki powered UAE's 11-0 run as they took a 59-53 cushion to open the fourth.

Demusis then instigated an 8-0 rampage for the Yeng Guiao-mentored club to regain the lead, 61-59, halfway through the frame. He buried another basket that sent them to a slim 69-68 lead but his costly turnover led to a Albreiki three-pointer.

Demusis then sank two freebies, 71-72, before he forced a turnover from UAE. Santi Santillan, though, missed out on his layup attempt as Albreiki split his free throws to bag the victory.

The Rain or Shine forward finished with 12 points and three rebounds while import Nick Evans put up 12 markers as well to go with four boards. Asistio poured in nine points as Gian Mamuyac chipped in eight as the win remained elusive for the Filipinos.

Albreiki registered 22 points while Qais Omar Alshabebi and Rashed Naser Alzaabi chimed in with 11 and 10 markers apiece.

Rain or Shine previously bowed to Chinese Taipei A and B while UAE had twin losses to South Korea's Anyang KGC and USA to kick off its campaign. Rain or Shine will next face Qatar on Tuesday.

—Bea Micaller/JKC, GMA Integrated News