SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines – NLEX almost ran out of gas, but was saved by an always reliable three-point assasin.
Kevin Alas drilled a big trey in the clutch, helping NLEX survive Big Chill, 79-75 in Game 1 of the 2013-2014 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup finals on Sunday, February 23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Gilas Pilipinas cadet pool member drilled a huge three – his only connection from long range – with just 34.3 seconds to go to push the Road Warriors ahead, 78-70. Forward Matt Ganuelas hit key free throws down the stretch to keep the Super Chargers at bay and move one win away from their 5th championship in 6 D-League appearances.
The Road Warriors ran on high-octane fuel early, leading by as much as 15 but had to weather a gigantic comeback from the Super Chargers to eke out the hard-earned win.
Alas finished with 17 points and 3 assists while Ganuelas added 13 points, including 4 free throws under the last two minutes for the win.
“This is not doable without my players stepping up. Even with a strong Big Chill’s comeback, my players were able to stay focused and stick with our game plan,” said NLEX mentor Boyet Fernandez after the match.
With center Ola Adeogun making his presence felt inside, NLEX steamrolled early in the match.
Triples by Garvo Lanete and Ronald Pascual towards the end of the opening frame and an and-one play from Pamboy Raymundo at the start of the second quarter made it 23-8 for the Road Warriors.
Khasim Mirza, Juneric Baloria, and Dexter Maiquez each hit a triple for the Super Chargers, trimming the lead to just 6, 28-34.
However, Adeogun once again asserted his might inside for another three-point play while drawing Maiquez’s 4th personal foul. That started a 7-2 spurt for the Road Warriors to enter halftime sitting on a comfortable 41-30 edge.
In the second half, the Super Chargers used a suffocating backcourt trap to cut the deficit to just 7, 40-47 but the mighty Road Warriors responded with an 8-0 blast behind Gilas cadets Kevin Alas, Jake Pascual, and Matt Ganuelas to push the advantage back to 55-40.
Coach Boyet Hernandez’s troops were able to weather Big Chill’s rally to bring along a 58-46 bubble heading into the payoff period.
NLEX continued pounding thier opponents for a 65-50 cushion early in the 4th.
But that was before the hard-fighting Super Chargers unleashed a furious 15-3 run 3 highlighted by triples from Mirza and Brian Huruela over the next 3 minutes to make it 65-68. They continued applying pressure to inch little by little.
Alas then drove strong to the hoop for a much-needed basket while Ganuelas hit an elbow jumper to give NLEX a 72-65 lead. Brondial answered with a long range bomb and a basket inside to make it 70-74 with just 1:32 left.
However, that proved to be their last stand as Ganuelas scored a split before Alas drained a back-breaking triple.
NLEX capitalized on 27 Big Chill turnovers, turning them into 19 points of their own.
The scores:
NLEX (79) – Alas 17, Ganuelas 13, Pascual 11, Adeogun 10, Pascual R. 9, Dela Cruz 6, Dela Rosa 4, Lanete 4, Raymundo 3, Long 2, Hermida 0.
Big Chill (75) – Cervantes 17, Heruela 12, Baloria 9, Mirza 9, Brondial 9, Villahermosa 7, Apinan 6, Canlas 3, Maiquez 3, Belleza 0, Santos 0, Lozada 0.
– Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.