MANILA, Philippines – Robert Bolick picked up his first win with NLEX, flirting with a triple-double in a 104-97 victory that eliminated Blackwater from the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday, December 22.

Bolick shone with 30 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals to help the Road Warriors snap a four-game losing streak and raise their record to 3-6.

Shipped by NorthPort to NLEX after his short-lived stint in the Japan B. League, Bolick proved he remained a prolific closer for his new squad as he came up with a couple of clutch plays on both ends down the stretch.

The Bossing were within striking distance trailing 97-100 with under a 50 seconds remaining, but Bolick foiled their bid to equalize when he stole the ball away from rookie Archie Concepcion.

Bolick made it a two-possession lead as he iced his free throws with four ticks left then converted a breakaway layup for good measure after another Blackwater turnover.

With Bolick on an assist frenzy, four of his teammates scored in double figures, with import Stokley Chaffee Jr. putting 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Rookie Jhan Nermal impressed with 16 points and 4 rebounds in just his second game with the Road Warriors, while Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and NLEX newcomer Enoch Valdez chalked up 12 and 11 points, respectively.

As the Road Warriors arrested their skid, the Bossing continued with their downward spiral as they absorbed their eighth straight loss and crashed out of playoff contention for the third straight conference.

Puerto Rican import Chris Ortiz tallied 27 points and 7 assists in another solid outing that went down the drain for Blackwater, which slipped to the bottom of the 12-team standings with a 1-8 card.

The second overall pick in the previous draft, Christian David enjoyed a breakout performance of 17 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting, although not even his season-high in scoring could salvage the Bossing.

RK Ilagan had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in the loss.

The Scores

NLEX 104 – Bolick 30, Chaffee 20, Nermal 16, Ganuelas-Rosser 12, Valdez 11, Semerad 5, Anthony 4, Rodger 3, Miranda 3, Herndon 0.

Blackwater 97 – Ortiz 27, David 17, Ilagan 16, DiGregorio 12, Suerte 7, Concepcion 6, Rosario 5, Amer 4, Hill 2, Ular 1, Escoto 0, Kwukuteye 0, Guinto 0.

Quarters: 27-26, 52-51, 77-79, 104-97.

– Rappler.com