NLEX clinches QF berth in win over Blackwater
THE NLEX Road Warriors are now through to the quarterfinals of the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup after defeating the Blackwater Elite, 93-90, in a key ball game yesterday at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
Led by guard Kevin Alas’ solid game and explosion in the fourth period, the Road Warriors edged the Elite and won their fourth straight game to secure a spot in the next round of the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) tournament while dealing Blackwater’s playoff push a huge blow.
The key match got off to a competitive start with the two teams angling to establish early control.
NLEX would hold a 23-20 lead at the end of the first canto but Mac Belo and the rest of the Elite found their groove to take the driver’s seat by the halftime break, 46-41.
In the third quarter, the squads jostled to kick off things, fighting to a 49-all standoff with three minutes into the frame.
Blackwater would outscore NLEX, 12-7, in the next four minutes to gain some distance, 61-56.
NLEX tried to inch its way back but the Elite stood their ground and continued to hold sway, 74-65, by the end of the first 36 minutes of the match.
Mr. Alas and Kiefer Ravena combined for nine quick points to open things for the Road Warriors in the payoff quarter and tied the count at 74-all with 10:37 to go.
The Elite answered with four straight points to extend their lead anew but Mr. Alas connected on back-to-back triples and a deuce to help the Road Warriors to an 8278 advantage with less than nine minutes remaining on the clock.
With momentum on their side, the Elite built on the swing, taking an 86-81 cushion with 5:48 left.
Allein Maliksi kept Blackwater within striking distance, down by just two points, 88-86, at the 2:47 mark of the game.
NLEX big man Rabeh AlHussaini then tallied four straight points to hand his team a six-point lead, 92- 86, inside the last two minutes.
A three- pointer by Michael DiGregrorio with 1:07 left on the clock pushed Blackwater within three points, 92-89.
The Elite were in a position to tie the contest with seven seconds remaining and NLEX just ahead by three points but the three-point heave of Mr. Belo as time wound up failed to hit the mark, handing the win to the Road Warriors.
Mr. Alas had all-around numbers of 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists with Mr. Ravena adding 23 points for NLEX, now at joint fourth place with a 6-4 record with one game left in its schedule in the classification phase.
Blackwater, meanwhile, was led by Mr. DiGregorio’s 16 points. The Elite (4-6) now must win their last game to at least have a shot at making into the quarterfinals.
“Based on our calculations, six wins are enough to book a playoff spot. But there are still a lot of games to be played and we’ll just try to avoid the seventh or eighth spot. Five or six is fine with us. We just want to compete on even terms in the next round,” said winning coach Yeng Guiao, referring to the format in the quarterfinals where the middle teams battle in a best-ofthree series as opposed to having a twice-to-win disadvantage against the top two teams if one ends up at seventh or eighth place at the end of the eliminations.
NLEX plays next on Feb. 28 against the TNT KaTropa while Blackwater returns to the court on Wednesday against the Phoenix Fuel Masters. —