Cade Flores delivered a career-high performance as NorthPort pulled the rug from under playoff-bound NLEX, 113-108, to end an eight-game dry spell in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday, June 11.
At A Glance
- Cade Flores delivered a career-high performance as NorthPort pulled the rug from under playoff-bound NLEX, 113-108, to end an eight-game dry spell in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday, June 11.
Taking a much bigger role on the team following the departure of Arvin Tolentino and William Navarro, Flores made the most of the opportunity, dropping 26 points – including 13 in the third quarter where the Batang Pier built a double-digit lead and enough to cushion a late fightback from the Road Warriors.
NorthPort actually exploded for 40 points during that frame as it took an 86-76 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Flores added 15 rebounds and two steals while Fran Yu also had a conference-high of 21 points – none bigger than a huge layup with 12 seconds left that gave NorthPort a 112-108 lead.
Calvin Abueva continued to be a positive influence for NorthPort since joining the team as part of the Navarro trade with 19 points and eight rebounds.
Joshua Munzon only finished with eight points but dished out 12 assists to go with five rebounds while Jio Jalalon had eight rebounds and six assists to make up for his scoring with just three points.
NorthPort, although already out of contention, improved to a 2-8 record to get some positives before ending the conference against San Miguel on Sunday, June 15.
NLEX, on the other hand, ended the eliminations on an 8-3 record although the loss struck a huge blow to its bid to finish at the top seed.
Robbie Herndon, who led the desperate run of NLEX in the final two minutes, led his team with 21 points although he had some key free-throw misses late that could have helped the Road Warriors turn things around.