Rey Nambatac shines in Blackwater debut, leads escape act vs. Meralco

Rey Namabatac did not show any jitters in his first game in a Blackwater uniform, steering the Bossing to a 96-93 escape against Meralco to kick off the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Nambatac, who was traded to the Bossing from Rain or Shine two weeks ago, tallied a team-high 27 points alongside 10 assists and five rebounds to help Blackwater kick off its campaign on a high note. 

The Bossing, however, had to work hard for the win as the Bolts were able to crawl from being down by as much as 19 points early in the fourth quarter, 86-67, with Allein Maliksi catching fire late. 

Maliksi fired a triple before sinking two free throws to cut the deficit to just four. The veteran shooter then nailed a huge three-pointer that made it a one-digit deficit for the Bolts, 94-93. 

Nambatac, though, steadily completed his two freebies to ice the game as Maliksi went wide on his final corner triple attempt. 

Troy Rosario chipped in 15 points while Rey Suerte and Tyrus Hill chimed in with 11 and 10 markers apiece. James Yap, who also made his Blackwater debut today, made five points off the bench as Blackwater snapped its 10-game losing streak from the previous conference. 

Maliksi finished with 27 points anchored on five triples alongside four rebounds, and three assists while Chris Newsome listed 16 markers. 

Scores:

Blackwater 96 – Nambatac 27, Rosario 15, Suerte 11, Hill 10, DiGregorio 9, David 7, Escoto 6, Guinto 5, Yap 5, Jopia 1, Ilagan 0, Kwekuteye 0, Sena 0.

Meralco 93 – Maliksi 27, Newsome 16, Jose 10, Mendoza 10, Black 10, Hodge 6, Banchero 5, Quinto 3, Bates 3, Torres 3, Caram 0, Pasaol 0, Pascual 0.

Quarters: 18-26, 43-41, 72-62, 96-93.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News