NLEX increased its chances to secure a playoff spot after seizing a dominant 98-68 beating of Blackwater in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center, Friday afternoon.
Slow was the start of the Bossing against the Road Warriors after ending the first quarter with just two points courtesy of a basket by Yousef Taha at the seven-minute and 57-second mark.
It was the fourth time in league history that a team scored just two points in a quarter, with the most recent one happening two years ago in a game between Northport and Rain or Shine.
The Ever Bilena-owned squad continued to struggle in the second half as the Road Warriors stretched the lead to as much as 41. It was all NLEX down the stretch as Blackwater failed to trim the deficit to allow Yeng Guiao’s squad to snap out of a three-game losing skid.
“The first group did a good job, especially on the defensive end then nag-follow nalang kami,” Don Trollano claimed moments after their win. “May mga past games kami na lumalamang kami ng malaki and at the end, natatalo kami. Naging lesson samin ‘yun na kahit lumamang kami ng malaki, ganun parin ‘yung intensity, same parin, ganun parin ‘yung laro namin from the start.”
Trollano headlined the Road Warriors with 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists off the bench while Calvin Oftana provided an all-around performance of 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.
JR Quiñahan pitched in 12 points and five rebounds followed by Justin Chua who contributed 11 points, nine rebounds, and a steal.
NLEX (5-5) will look to conclude its elimination round with a win against Northport (3-6) on Friday, July 22, at 3:00 PM at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
No player from Blackwater reached double digits in scoring. Taha led the Bossing with nine markers, nine boards, and three assists while Ato Ular provided eight points and 11 rebounds of his own.
Baser Amer also notched eight points against four turnovers in close to 22 minutes of action.
Blackwater (5-4) will aim to snap its three-game losing skid against Converge (4-5) on Wednesday, July 20, at 3:00 PM also at the Big Dome.
The Scores:
NLEX 98 – Trollano 16, Oftana 15, Quinahan 12, Chua 11, Rosales 10, Soyud 6, Semerad 6, Nieto 6, Varilla 5, Ighalo 4, Paniamogan 4, Fonacier 3, Magat 0
Blackwater 68 – Taha 9, Ular 8, Amer 8, McCarthy 6, Casio 6, Dyke 6, Ebona 6, Publico 5, Melton 3, Sena 3, Ganuelas-Rosser 3, Escoto 3, Torralba 2, Suerte 0, Ayonayon 0
Quarterscores: 31-02, 56-26, 78-40, 98-68
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
