Road Warriors stop Bossing streak
MANILA, Philippines -- The NLEX Road Warriors pulled away late and dealt the Blackwater Bossing their first loss of the PBA Philippine Cup, 103-97, Wednesday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Big 3-pointers by Anthony Semerad and Robert Bolick secured the Road Warriors’ third straight win.
The game was tied at 92 following a pair by Rey Suerte with a little over two minutes remaining in the game.
Richie Rodger then sank a floater with less than two minutes remaining, and in the next possession, Suerte missed a pair of freebies that proved costly.
On the other end, Semerad hit a big 3-pointer that pushed the lead to five, 97-92, with 1:20 to go.
Jaydee Tungcab answered with a layup to cut the lead to three, but Bolick made a step-back trey to keep the Bossing at bay, 100-94.
Suerte answered with a shot from rainbow country about two seconds after, but Bolick made the dagger 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, 103-97.
In the next possession, Suerte was fouled and had the opportunity to inch closer, but he missed both once again.
Rey Nambatac attempted a trey off the miss, but it did not make the mark, sealing NLEX’s victory.
Bolick flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 21 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. He also had two steals.
Jhan Nermal added 16 points and seven boards in 17 minutes off the bench, while Dominic Fajardo and Robbie Herndon chipped in 14 apiece.
Suerte spearheaded Blackwater with 21 points, seven boards and four assists.
Nambatac and Troy Rosario backstopped with 16 markers each.
After going down by 11 in the first quarter, 12-23, the Road Warriors staged a comeback and kept within striking distance the rest of the way.
Blackwater was even able to go up by seven, 80-73, early on in the final canto, but NLEX erupted for an 15-6 run to take the lead, 88-86, setting the stage for the finish.
The Bossing, who dropped to 3-1 in the season, will try to bounce back against the Terrafirma Dyip on Saturday, 3 p.m., at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
The 4-1 NLEX will now be on a three-week break and will face the Magnolia Hotshots on April 6 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
