IN another sibling rivalry, NLEX and Meralco clawed and fought hard against each other for nearly 48 minutes.
In the end though, the Road Warriors had the last say in a hard-earned 93-91 win—their second straight—in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday.
Sean Anthony delivered once again for NLEX as he calmly sank the go-ahead and game-winning free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining, giving the Road Warriors a 92-91 edge.
Down, 90-91, with ball in hand, NLEX caught a big break when Jared Dillinger’s over aggressive defense led him to foul Anthony when the latter received the inbound pass off a timeout. That led to Anthony’s deciding freebies that gave the Road Warriors the thrilling victory.
Anthony finished with 19 points, while veteran guard Jonas Villanueva, chipped in 17 points, including vital baskets in the final two minutes, for NLEX.
While Anthony continued to shine, his teammate Asi Taulava also produced monster numbers of 22 points (9-of-14 shooting) and 21 rebounds.
The win moved the Road Warriors to solo fourth place with a 4-2 card, while the setback put the Bolts back to the doormat with their 1-6 slate.
“We are happy to get two wins against our sister teams,’’ said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez, whose Road Warriors also won against Talk ‘N Text the last time out. ‘’I thought our defense held up. It made the difference.’’
After the free throws by Anthony, Meralco, without any timeouts left, got the ball back with the chance to take the win in the succeeding possession, but Gary David stepped out of bounds in the baseline with 3.6 seconds remaining.
The Bolts were forced to foul Kevin Alas and the sophomore split his freebies to extend NLEX’s lead to 93-91 with 2.6 seconds left on the clock, giving Meralco another chance to turn its fortunes around.
But rookie Baser Amer’s wild triple went astray in the closing seconds, allowing the Road Warriors to escape with the win.
Prior to Anthony’s heroics, it was David who gave Meralco its last lead after he drained a left-corner triple with 9.8 seconds left to make it 91-90 in the Bolts’ favor.
Chris Newsome paced Meralco with his team-high 21 points as the rookie continued to impress, while David ended up with 19 markers.
Meanwhile, a double-header is again scheduled for today between GlobalPort (3-2) and streaking Barangay Ginebra (3-3) at 7 p.m., while Talk ‘N Text (3-2) battles Blackwater (1-4) at 4:15 p.m. Both games will also be held at the Big Dome.
The scores:
NLEX 93—Taulava 22, Anthony 19, Villanueva J. 17, Alas 16, Khobuntin 6, Enciso 5, Borboran 3, Villanueva E. 3, Lanete 2, Arboleda 0, Reyes 0.
MERALCO 91—Newsome 21, David 19, Hodge 14, Al-Hussaini 10, Faundo 10, Dillinger 9, Nabong 4, Atkins 2, Hugnatan 2, Alapag 0, Amer 0, Buenafe 0.
Quarters: 24-18, 46-37, 65-67, 93-91
Games Today
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:15 p.m. – Talk ‘N Text vs. Blackwater
7 p.m. – GlobalPort vs. Barangay Ginebra