NLEX stuns Ginebra, big men in PH Cup

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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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February 4, 2018
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MANILA – NLEX Road Warriors’ gamble to playing small ball against the towering Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings paid off as it eked out an 81-78 win in the PBA Philippine Cup last night at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Facing big men Japeth Aguilar and Gregory Slaughter, Road Warriors turned to unconventional combinations of guards Larry Fonacier, Cyrus Baguio, Alex Mallari, and Kevin Alas to complete the come-from-behind triumph.

Down by as much as 14 points early in the third quarter, Road Warriors started its run behind JR Quinahan, Juami Tiongson and Mallari to cut the deficit 55-59 heading into the fourth.

Kings was able to pull away 66-59 early in the fourth on back-to-back hits by Jervy Cruz but Road Warriors got 7 straight points from Baguio and suddenly took the lead 75-73 on a Fonacier triple.

The match repeatedly tied, with the last time at 77-all on a Quinahan basket before Road Warriors notched the lead 79-77 on a Mallari basket. Kings had a chance to tie the count but Slaughter split his two free throws for a 78-79 deficit with 4 seconds left.

Kings committed another miscue on the other end as Solomon Mercado was slapped with a technical, resulting in a free throw by Fonacier for a 2-point advantage with 0.04 seconds left.

Fonacier led with 17 points, Quinahan chipped in 14 markers, while Baguio and Mallari had 13 and 11, respectively, for Road Warriors (3-4) to halt its four-game skid.

“We’ve been struggling with our offense lately but I’ve seen a lot of determination from the guys to get back our rhythm in our practices,” said Road Warriors head coach Yeng Guiao. “And it translated in our game against Ginebra.”

Aguilar finished with 21 points – 17 coming in the first half – while LA Tenorio added 12, as Slaughter posted 9 points and 12 rebounds in his return for Kings (3-4)./PN
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