NLEX continued its onslaught in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup after adding Terrafirma to its list of victims, 117-87, Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Still on a high from their 89-86 stunner of Ginebra the last time out, the Road Warriors wasted no time setting the tone with a 22-5 start en route to their fifth straight win – and stay as one of the hottest teams in the conference.
“Everybody played well and everybody was in the right mindset,” offered head coach Jong Uichico, whose team has equaled its longest win streak in franchise history, according to league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III.
(C) PBA Images
So dominant was the crew that Robert Bolick no longer needed to go hard with only three points to his name, using his time on the floor to facilitate for his teammates as the star guard collected 10 assists with eight rebounds.
And the younger ones made the most of their extended time, with Brandon Ramirez tallying a career-high 21 points — all fine after suffering a dislocated jaw due to an inadvertent hit by Jamie Malonzo during the Kings game.
JB Bahio notched another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds as the frontcourt tandem was the first to hit double-digits before the others followed.
Robbie Herndon knocked down three triples and went on to finish with 15 points and five rebounds. Javee Mocon came through with an all-around outing as he registered 13 points and 12 rebounds with five assists and a steal.
(C) PBA Images
All 13 players sniffed the hardwood in the lopsided show and contributed at least two points in the victory that improved their record to 5-1 to stay breathing down the necks of the current no. 1 seed in Magnolia (5-0).
NLEX will look to make it six in a row and set a new franchise record when it takes on Converge on May 23, Friday, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Kevin Ferrer, on the other hand, finished with 23 points to lead Terrafirma, which absorbed its sixth consecutive loss of the tilt and fell to 1-6.
Louie Sangalang made 15 points while rookie guard Matk Nonoy and Brent Paraiso added 11 and 10 markers, respectively, for a team that’s lost an average margin of 30.0 points in its previous games.
And it definitely won’t get easier for the Dyip as they’re facing San Miguel Beer next this Sunday, May 18, at the Ynares Center II in Montalban, Rizal.
The Scores:
NLEX 117 – Ramirez 21, Bahio 17, Herndon 15, Mocon 13, Alas 9, Valdez 9, Amer 7, Miranda 6, Semerad 6, Torres 6, Nieto 3, Bolick 3, Fajardo 2
Terrafirma 87 – Ferrer 23, Sangalang 15, Nonoy 11, Paraiso 10, Zaldivar 8, Pringle 7, Melecio 5, Catapusan 4, Ramos 4, Hernandez 0, Hanapi 0, Olivario 0
Quarterscores: 33-16, 63-44, 87-70, 117-87.
