DON Trollano stepped up in the absence of Kevin Alas, leading NLEX over NorthPort, 112-104, on Wednesday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Trollano was aggressive on offense early as he scored 18 of his 29 points in the first quarter, surpassing his 14.3 scoring average as the Road Warriors came away with the wire-to-wire win in a game where they led by as many as 16 points.
LOOK: Thomas Robinson gets into shouting match with Pido Jarencio
NLEX improved to 2-2 (win-loss) after bouncing back from its one-point defeat over Terrafirma last Saturday.
It was the first game of the Road Warriors since Alas tore the ACL in his left knee during the Terrafirma game at the Ynares Center, his third injury of such kind in his PBA career.
Thomas Robinson also made key plays to finish with team highs of 30 points and 18 rebounds as NLEX dealt NorthPort its second consecutive defeat after a 2-0 start.
Tempers, however, flared at the end of the game when Robinson exchanged words with NorthPort governor Erick Arejola before getting into a shouting match with team manager Pido Jarencio.
NLEX coach Frankie Lim, however, noted how it still became a close match in the end despite the Road Warriors opening an 85-68 lead in the third.
“I explained to them that we were up by so much at halftime was because we did the right things, executing our plays, and being patient. Sometimes they stop being patient and they tend to take bad shots. That is the result of non-execution of our patterns,” said Lim.
Joshua Munzon had 22 points, while Venky Jois had 20 points and 19 rebounds for NorthPort.
The scores:
NLEX 112 – Robinson 30, Trollano 29, Rosales 15, Anthony 10, Herndon 8, Rodger 7, Semerad 5, Pascual 4, Miranda 2, Marcelo 2, Fajardo 0, Gabo 0.
NorthPort 104 – Munzon 22, Jois 20, Tolentino 19, Flores 15, Chan 9, Calma 6, Paraiso 5, Salado 3, Yu 2, Ayaay 2, Taha 1, Caperal 0, Amores 0.
Quarters: 37-23; 60-53; 91-77; 112-104.
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