NLEX erased a 16-point halftime deficit before surviving some anxious moments late to defeat Terrafirma, 105-102, and begin its PBA Philippine Cup campaign with a victory Wednesday, June 8 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Kevin Alas, JR Quinahan, Calvin Oftana and Don Trollano led the charge as the Road Warriors won despite their first half struggles that allowed the Dyip to take a 47-31 halftime lead.
Alas led all scorers with 24 points, Quinahan scored 12 of his 18 in the third, Oftana made 18 of his 20 in the fourth while Trollano added 15 points and eight rebounds for NLEX.
The Road Warriors led 103-101 with four seconds left, but Justin Chua was called for a technical foul with four seconds left, allowing Juami Tiongson to sink the technical free throw that cut the margin to one.
Chua would later turn the ball over, after the ball hit his knee during the inbound, giving Terrafirma a chance to steal the game.
But Joshua Munzon lost the ball as he was crossing halfcourt and Oftana was able to nail both charities for the final count.
“Actually I'm very happy with the way we won because makikita mo yung character ng team. Kaya naming magbalik from 16 points. Kayod hanggang huli,” said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao.
“So, I look at it as a good sign of the character of this team. Umpisa pa lang medyo nakikita ko, we can still gain momentum, we can still gain some rhythm, especially yung offense namin. Siguro kung hindi ganoon kasama ang opensa namin ng first half, pwedeng hindi ganoon kahirap ipanalo yung laro.
“Pero you have to give them (Terrafirma) credit for the kind of defense they played in the first half,” added Guiao.
Juami Tiongson and Aldrech Ramos scored 18 points apiece but Terrafirma once again succumbed to another blown lead, something that hounded its campaign in Season 46.
Tiongson conspired with Joseph Gabayni to put the Dyip ahead 30-18 early in the second quarter.
The Road Warriors’ 26-percent shooting also contributed to the Dyip stretching their lead to that 47-31 advantage at the break.