NLEX sputtered in the fourth but recovered in time to hack out the crucial win against Ginebra in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup on Sunday, May 5.
Robert Bolick rifled in 25 points as NLEX edged Ginebra, 76-72, and clinched the sixth spot in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup playoffs on Sunday, May 5, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Bolick also had six rebounds and eight assists for the Road Warriors, who set up a best-of-three quarterfinal battle against Meralco.
“After four consecutive losses, it's nice to win again lalo na sa Ginebra pa,” said NLEX coach Frankie Lim.
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Richie Rodger added 11 points, none bigger than the pair of pressure-packed free throws with 1.2 ticks to go that sealed the win for the Road Warriors.
NLEX led by as many as 12 points, 73-61, at the 7:08 mark of the fourth period but went gun shy after that, opening up an opportunity for the Gin Kings who did not let it slip.
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As the Road Warriors turned silent, Ginebra went berserk and closed in, 70-73, after Stanley Pringle’s back-to-back baskets with 1:52 to go.
The Gin Kings continued to threaten as Maverick Ahanmisi had the chance to tie the count as he was sent to the line with still 32.5 left.
But he only canned one of his three free throws, with Rodger making the most of his chances on the other end.
“We should have handled our last five minutes a lot better. Sometimes, we made bad decisions. I felt we could have better shots. But, just the same, my guys didn’t give up,” said Lim.
“They held their own, especially noong last time out ni coach Tim (Cone). We locked them up. We denied all entry passes and they turned the ball over.”
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Christian Standhardinger had a stellar game for Ginebra, turning in 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists that went for naught.
Japeth Aguilar and Ahanmisi added 15 and 14 markers, respectively.
The Scores:
NLEX 76 – Bolick 25, Rodger 11, Herndon 9, Miranda 8, Semerad 8, Amer 7, Anthony 4, Marcelo 4, Fajardo 0, Valdez 0, Taha 0
GINEBRA 72 – Standhardinger 19, J.Aguilar 15, Ahanmisi 14, Pringle 7, Cu 5, Thompson 4, Tenorio 2, Pessumal 2, Onwubere 2, David 0, Pinto 0, Murrell 0
Quarterscores: 23-16, 35-32, 59-54, 76-72