Basketball
NLEX holds off Magnolia with clutch Winston trey, goes 2-0 in PBA Comm’s Cup
NLEX leaned on another big three-pointer down the stretch to stave off Magnolia, 112-105, and post back-to-back wins in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center II in Montalban, Sunday night.
After knocking down a crucial trey to eventually beat Blackwater last Friday, Robert Bolick was a willing passer this time around and dished it to Deschon Winston for a corner trey to push their lead to 111-103 with 47.3 seconds left.
Jerom Lastimosa tried to will the Hotshots back after scoring off a foul moments later, but that wasn’t enough as they fell to 0-2 while the other team completed its comeback from 13 down to join Phoenix and Terrafirma atop the standings.
“It was a great comeback by us at the end of the first half. Nakabalik kami sa laro kasi maganda ‘yung intensity na ipinakita,” said Coach Jong Uichico. “Kasi ang bigat talaga kalaban ng Magnolia. Ang lalaki, tsaka maganda ang sistema.”
(C) PBA Images
Seven players finished in twin digits for NLEX, with Cady Lalanne leading the pack once more with 24 points and 11 rebounds plus three blocks.
Bolick, Winston, and JB Bahio supplied 14 points apiece, with the backcourt tandem combining for 11 rebounds and the same number of assists.
LJ Gonzales made 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals as the rookie playmaker eventually earned Player of the Game honors.
Kevin Alas delivered 13 points as well, including a key four-pointer from the left wing to give themselves a 97-91 cushion with 7:11 to spare in the fourth quarter that then made it all the more difficult for the opposition to catch up.
Tony Semerad chipped in 11 points, spiked by three triples, in the victory that saw the crew finish with a total of 12 stocks (nine steals and three blocks).
Magnolia, on the other hand, was led by Nuni Omot, who’s seemingly getting his flow back with 32 points alongside nine rebounds and six assists.
(C) PBA Images
Lastimosa made 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting on top of two rebounds and four assists. Rome Dela Rosa made 17 points while Zav Lucero finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, plus three assists, a steal, and a block.
It was yet another well-spread attack for Coach LA Tenorio’s wards, but they couldn’t sustain control of the match after leading by 56-43 late in the second.
And they appeared to have regressed as compared to their conference debut against Phoenix, as they couldn’t put together a furious endgame rally.
They did manage to cut the gap to one possession, 100-104, but Lalanne was there to keep them at bay by manufacturing four straight points, and then came Winston’s heavy triple that practically sealed the deal for NLEX.
Eventually, the Hotshots would suffer their second loss in as many outings, marking the first time since the Season 47 Governors’ Cup that it started a conference at 0-2, according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
Both teams will return to action next Sunday, March 22, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Magnolia will open the double-header versus Blackwater at 5:15 p.m. before NLEX faces Bol Bol and TNT at the 7:30 p.m. nightcap.
The Scores:
NLEX 112 – Lalanne 24, Bahio 14, Winston 14, Bolick 14, Alas 13, Gonzales 13, Semerad 11, Torres 3, Fajardo 3, Racal 3, Herndon 0.
Magnolia 105 – Omot 32, Lastimosa 23, Dela Rosa 17, Lucero 16, Laput 6, Lee 4, Barroca 3, Andrada 2, Alfaro 2, Gomez de Liano 0, Koon 0, Sangalang 0, Escoto 0.
Quarterscores: 27-26, 57-59, 82-80, 112-105.
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NLEX took the solo lead in Group A following a convincing 110-96 victory over the erstwhile perfect San Miguel to extend its unbeaten run to four in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
In a game where they showed a bit of everything, the Road Warriors went on a tear in the second chapter, inflated the lead to its biggest at 25 in the third, and then displayed solid poise in the defining chapter to put the Beermen away.
Robert Bolick connected on a four, then came Robbie Herndon with a triple not long after as that 7-0 spurt pushed their lead back to 99-84 with 6:23 to go, and that proved to be enough to restore order after their foes cut the gap to eight.
DeQuan Jones took over afterward to lead the strong closeout as they went on to become the lone team without a loss thus far as the Beermen fell to 3-1.
In what’s becoming a trend since Coach Jimmy Alapag arrived, NLEX leaned on another balanced attack that saw a five finish in double figures
Jones himself led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Deschon Winston finished with 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists as he triggered the 14-0 run in the second chapter for a 44-27 lead that set the tone for the rout.
Tony Semerad had 15 points as his long bombs helped put together the solid finish. Bolick came just short of a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists while Herndon added 13 markers to lead the bench mob.
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Joseph Yeo and Chris Tiu rekindled their legendary partnership as Xavier School edged the James Yap-led Hua Siong College-Iloilo, 75-72, in Game 1 of the 40 Years Division finals of the Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. on Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Though no longer as quick or explosive as they were in their prime, the Powersox-AcroCity-backed Xavier stars remained deadly from beyond the arc, delivering clutch baskets down the stretch to topple the defending champions in the opener of their best-of-three title series before a sizable crowd.
The Golden Stallions now stand one win away from the championship and a measure of revenge after falling to Hua Siong in last year’s finals. They can seal the title with another victory on Monday.
Yeo turned back the clock with a game-high 30 points, highlighted by four three-pointers, to outduel fellow PBA great James Yap. He scored Xavier’s final seven points, including a crucial triple that stretched the lead to 71-66 late in the contest.
Yap answered with 18 points, knocking down two booming three-pointers, but his efforts were not enough as the Lamtex Pipes-backed Hua Siong absorbed its first loss after sweeping all eight elimination-round games. Hua Siong had also cruised past GT Radial-Grace Christian College, 108-74, in the semifinals.
Tiu also played a key role in the victory, finishing with 17 points while sinking two of Xavier’s 13 three-pointers. Hua Siong, meanwhile, connected on nine triples.
In the battle for third place, Grace Christian College rolled past SCAG-St. Stephen’s, 60-40, behind Allan Anson Tan’s 20-point performance to finish third in the nine-team tournament.
With Yap struggling to find his rhythm late, Ken Bono tried to keep Hua Siong within striking distance, but Xavier would not be denied.
The league is backed by Smart Sports, Tanduay Athletics, Genius Hardware, Ultraforce Tires, Cellboy, PGFlex Linoleum, Boysen, Lamtex Pipes, Jiang Nan, Hangry Pares, Powerhouse Tools, L.F. Fireworks, BYD Valenzuela, BAIC, Jetour, Yong Kee Roasting House, 1118 Autospa, and TCL.
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Ramon Cao asserted himself in the endgame to help Macau complete a 132-126 comeback win over Titan Ultra to break through in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The reliable big man finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds as he basically took it upon himself to bring the Giant Risers home after seeing themselves staring at a 120-119 deficit with 1:52 remaining.
He scored seven straight to give themselves the 126-120 lead with 31.1 seconds left, which were enough to put them ahead permanently while the opposition could only try to answer back but to no avail
De’Vondre Perry helped him out to keep their foes at bay before Cao applied the final blow with a cleanup from point-blank as the former Bay Area Dragons forward produced 11 of Macau’s last 13 points of the bout.
With this, the guest team improved to 1-4 while sending Titan crashing back to earth after beating TNT previously.
The post PBA: Ramon Cao powers Macau’s stunning comeback to first win at Titan’s expense appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
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