NLEX beats Blackwater in OT to stay alive in playoff hunt

MANILA, Philippines – As two minutes and 38 seconds remained in the game, the NLEX Road Warriors were on the wrong side of a 10-point deficit, essentially staring at the axe to cut down any hope they have of making the PBA Governors’ Cup playoffs just moments away from delivering its final blow.

But for the remainder of the fourth period – and the ensuing 5 minutes after – the Road Warriors turned into a different, more defensive-oriented team, erasing an 85-75 Blackwater Elite lead and eventually securing a win in overtime, 102-89, on Friday, June 19, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Although their chances of being one of the top 8 teams to make the postseason still looks bleak, NLEX head coach Boyet Fernandez was glad with the performance of his boys.

“This win is for the players,” he said in the post-game press conference. “Even though we were down, they really played really hard and they came back and won, so good job.”

Import Kwame Alexander finished with a team-high of 26 points and 12 rebounds, Mark Cardona provided a spark off the bench with 16 points, and Syrian import Michael Madanly scored 18 points and hit 5 3-pointers – the most crucial one sealing his team’s win in overtime.

Madanly also played a pivotal role in sending the game to OT, as two of his triples and baskets by Alexander and Asi Taulava tied the game at 85 with 1:01 remaining in the contest. During that stretch, the Road Warriors also turned up the pressure on defense by forcing two turnovers and missed jumpers.

“I just told them that we’re not up, we’re down by 10, so we don’t play passive defense. We really needed to pick up our pressure,” Fernandez said.

A patented floater by Cardona put his team up 87-85 not long after. After getting a stop, NLEX had a chance to extend their lead at the foul stripe, but a bad inbound pass by Jonas Villanueva to Cardona gave Blackwater a chance to tie the contest.

 After Raphy Reyes missed a wide-open layup on the break, a rebound and two made free throws by import Marcus Cousins tied the contest at the end of regulation.

Overtime, however, was all Road Warriors. With their team clinging on to a 91-89 lead, Alexander converted a crucial layup to extend the lead to 4. Afterwards, Madanly hit a 3-ball from the top of the key to make it a 96-89 game with 2:45 remaining.

The Elite didn’t score the rest of the way, as they sealed their ninth loss in 10 games. NLEX improved to 3-7.

“They just changed the momentum and they played really solid zone defense and we pressed a little bit and we came back,” Fernandez said about his line-up that trimmed the 10-point deficit. “Finishing touches by Mike, Kwame, and Asi as well… he’s defied father time and he’s really the energizer of this team.”

The 42-year-old Taulava registered 10 points and 12 rebounds.

“I’m hoping we take good care of Asi and protect him from injuries,” added Fernandez.

Cousins had 29 points and 14 boards for the Elite, who also received 11 points and 9 dimes from Jerick Canada. 

The Road Warriors can still make the postseason if they beat Barangay Ginebra on Wednesday, June 24 by a large margin – a scenario which would put both teams in a 4-7 tie at the end of the elimination round. The Road Warriors, however, also needs Purefoods and KIA to finish with similar records for a chance at advancing through the quotient system.

SCORES

NLEX 102: Alexander 26, Madanly 18, Cardona 16, Taulava 10, Villanueva J. 9, Wilson 8, Borboran 5, Lingganay 4, Arboleda W. 3, Ramos 2, Canaleta 1, Raymundo 0, Villanueva E. 0.

BLACKWATER 89: Cousin 29, Canada 11, Reyes 9, Heruela 9, Erram 8, Faundo 6, Laure 5, Ballesteros 4, Cervantes 3, Salvacion 3, Gamalinda 2, Acuna 0.

Quarter Scores: 25-25, 38-44, 57-67, 87-87, 102-89

– Rappler.com