THE first win remained elusive three games into the William Jones Cup as Rain or Shine yielded to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 73-71, at the Taipei Heping Gymnasium in Taipei on Monday.
The Elasto Painters faltered in the end game as Hamid Abdulateef Abreiki poured 15 of his 22 points in the final quarter to frustrate the Filipinos.
The win was the first for UAE while the loss was Rain or Shine’s third straight.
Six of Abreiki’s fourth-quarter points came in the final two minutes, including a triple that put UAE ahead, 71-69.
The Filipinos had their chances after Nick Demusis pushed Rain or Shine to 71-72.
The Elasto Painters, however, came up dry in their possession in the final 24 seconds, forcing them to foul and send veteran big man Quais Alshabebi to the charity line with four seconds left in the game.
Alshabebi botched his two free throws but grabbed the rebound and fed Abreiki to stretch their lead 71-73.
Gian Mamuyac made one last heave beyond the three-point line but missed.
Alshabebi finished with 11 points while Rashed Alzaabi added 10.
Demusis, who kept Rain or Shine in the game after trailing by as many six points in the final frame, paced the Filipinos with 12.
Nick Evans also chipped in 12 but was a non-factor in the payoff period.
A fourth quarter rally came a little too late for Rain or Shine from falling to a second-straight defeat—89-79 to Chinese Taipei Team B—late Sunday.
The Elasto Painters came within striking distance in the final period after falling behind by 21 points but didn’t have the luxury of time in preventing a sweep by the hosts’ two teams.
A lackluster opening quarter again doomed the Filipinos as the Taiwanese drew confidence from a 30-14 lead.