Ravena-less NLEX ousts Blackwater
No Phenom, no problem for the NLEX Road Warriors.
Playing their first game of the conference without embattled star rookie Kiefer Ravena, NLEX took care of business against the Blackwater Elite, winning their second game of the 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup 93-89 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Road Warriors' import Arnett Moultrie did the heavy lifting, scoring a team high 26 points to go along with 16 rebounds.
The Elite led by 9 points with 5:23 left in the game, after a layup from Mike DiGregorio. But the Road Warriors fashioned out a 13-0 run, grabbing the lead by 4 points, 90-86.
Free throws from DiGregorio trimmed the deficit to only 1, and returning Elite import Henry Walker forced a turnover to give Blackwater a chance to salvage the win. But the Road Warriors were able to force a turnover, leading to a layup for Alex Mallari plus a free throw off a foul from Paul Zamar.
NLEX breaks out of the bottom of the standings with a 2-4 record, while the Elite are officially eliminated from Playoff contention, dropping to 0-7.
The scores:
NLEX 93 - Moultrie 26, Tiongson 10, Mallari 10, Fonacier 9, Rios 8, Monfort 5, Baguio 5, Marcelo 5, Soyud 5, Ighalo 5, Quiñahan 3, Miranda 2.
BLACKWATER 89 - DiGregorio 25, Maliksi 16, Erram 14, Walker 12, Cortez 4, Belo 4, Al-Hussaini 4, Sumang 3, Palma 3, Zamar 2, Jose 2, Pinto 0.
Quarterscores: 26-18, 42-40, 67-71, 93-89. — ESPN5