ANTIPOLO — Five teams are now sharing the top spot in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup standings after NLEX stopped the streaking Meralco in its tracks by way of an 89-85 decision on Sunday night at the Ynares Center here.
Robert Bolick settled the final count with a perfect trip to the foul line with 12.6 seconds left, and a missed four by Bong Quinto were all enough for the Road Warriors to escape–and win back-to-back for the first time in the conference.
Not only did they end the Bolts’ three-game winning run, but the wards of Coach Jong Uichico have also created the aforementioned logjam along with TNT, Magnolia, Converge, and Rain or Shine as the quintet now carry 3-1 records.
(C) PBA Images
“Hindi namin kayang dumevelop in the course of the conference eh, hindi kagaya ng mga ibang team–TNT, Ginebra, San Miguel–kaya nilang mag-apat, limang panalo sunod-sunod eh,” offered head coach Jong Uichico.
“Kami basta may tsansa, andun kami. Maganda na rin ‘yung posisyon na ‘to maski maaga, imbes na naghahabol kami. Hindi kagaya ng malalakas, kaya nilang habulin eh. Four wins in a row kaya nilang gawin ‘yan,” he added.
JB Bahio led NLEX with 16 points and seven rebounds. Kevin Alas made 12 points while Bolick produced 11 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists.
Jonnel Policarpio chipped in 10 points as the quartet were crucial in the fourth-quarter turnaround, in which they joined hands for a 16-2 run to turn a narrow three-point deficit to an 85-74 lead with 6:43–and stayed ahead for good.
“Disiplina lang,” said Uichico. “Disiplina, poise lang. And, try to match their intensity. Kasi grabe ‘yung intensity ng Meralco–they’re getting a lot of loose balls, they’re getting a lot of offensive rebounds, and they got so much size.
“It was still a close game, and it could’ve been anybody’s ball game, so it’s good that we made stops in the end,” added the champion bench tactician.
(C) PBA Images
CJ Cansino led Meralco with a game-high 24 points, albeit on 20 shots, although he was responsible for lifting his side to within a field goal, 87-85, with 13.3 seconds left, but the crew just couldn’t gather one last surge to steal the match.
Chris Newsome had 21 and 11 rebounds off the bench, while Cliff Hodge added 14 points for a Bolts team that’s coming off a trip from Okinawa in which they opened their 2025-26 EASL campaign but lost to Ryukyu, 81-72.
Both teams will play once more this Wednesday, October 29, still at the Ynares Center. NLEX will look to extend its streak versus Blackwater at 5:15 p.m., while Meralco locks horns with TNT at 7:30 as all MVP teams will see action.
The Scores:
NLEX 89 – Bahio 16, Alas 12, Bolick 11, Policarpio 10, Herndon 10, , Torres 9, Semerad 7, Fajardo 6, Nieto 5, Mocon 2, Ramirez 1.
Meralco 85 – Cansino 24, Newsome 21, Hodge 14, Caram 9, Quinto 6, Black 5, Bates 4, Comia 2, Maliksi 0, Pascual 0, Almazan 0.
Quarterscores: 24-13, 46-45, 68-69, 89-85.
