ANTIPOLO – It didn’t take long for Terrafirma to nail its first win of the season.
In the past, the regular league minnows often took a while to earn their first victory in a conference. This time, the Dyip won in just their second game of the PBA Season 50 by stunning NLEX, 97-91, on Sunday at the Ynares Center here.
The crew took the lead for good with a strong closeout to the second chapter and even led by as many as 16 points. Still, they needed to repel a last-gasp Road Warriors comeback attempt late to come away with the hard-fought W.
(C) PBA Images
Jerrick Ahanmisi stopped the bleeding, scoring off a nifty layup to push the lead to 95-91 with 37.1 seconds left. Then came JM Bravo with the insurance basket entering the final 11 ticks to secure the triumph — and the bounce-back.
Terrafirma started off with a 107-87 loss to Blackwater last Friday, but that loss hardly deflated the crew’s morale. They recovered to steal a win from a team coming off an 85-84 upset of San Miguel last Wednesday.
“Good thing ‘yun kasi nag-respond kaagad ‘yung mga bata,” offered Ronald Tubid, who also earned his first official win as head coach, although he also deflected the credit to his staff led by Jeff Napa and Jaren Jarencio.
“Kasi ‘yung mga players, as coaches nga, every time mag-usap kami, [sinasabi namin] kaya naman natin eh — kaya natin as long as we compete. Good thing naka-bounce back at hindi nabaon,” added the former star guard.
Bravo, the team’s sixth-round pick during the recent Rookie Draft, led the Dyip with a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds. Ahanmisi finished with 14 points and five rebounds as the former Magnolia guard continued his fine play.
Paolo Hernandez and Didat Hanapi made 13 points apiece. Louie Sangalang had 11 points, while Mark Nonoy came through with significant contributions as tallied six points, seven rebounds, and 13 of the team’s 23 assists.
“Nung first game namin, ‘yung mga bata was so excited. They know na kaya nila,” Tubid said. “As coaches, pinilit namin sa mga bata na although we’re undersized, as long as we compete, may chance tayo manalo.”
(C) PBA Images
JB Bahio, on the other hand, led NLEX with another double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, in which the team badly missed the services of Robert Bolick, who is still grieving the passing of his father.
Bahio, though, tried to help the Road Warriors, scoring four straight points to pull themselves to within a field goal, 93-91, with 59.4 seconds to spare. But it proved to be their last breath as Ahanmisi and Bravo came through.
Xyrus Torres also had 14 points.
Jonnel Policarpio and Brandon Ramirez finished with 13 points each and combined for 11 rebounds. Meanwhile, Tony Semerad added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Both teams are now toting similar 1-1 records following the result.
The Scores:
Terrafirma 97 – Bravo 18, Ahanmisi 14, Hernandez 13, Hanapi 13, Sangalang 11, Paraiso 6, Nonoy 6, Olivario 5, Rivero 4, Zaldivar 3, Garcia 2, Catapusan 2.
NLEX 91 – Bahio 14, Torres 14, Ramirez 13, Policarpio 13, Semerad 12, Alas 7, Valdez 6, Amer 5, Nieto 3, Herndon 3, Marcelo 1, Rodger 0.
Quarterscores: 24-24, 46-41, 74-62, 97-91.
#WATCH: “SA TEAM NAMIN THERE IS NO HEAD COACH”
Terrafirma’s Ronald Tubid says it’s all of them calling the shots—every coach is a head coach! 🚌🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/8Nu3fQM7ll
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA50 pic.twitter.com/apDyMKfNGK
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) October 12, 2025
