NLEX bounced back from a heartbreaking loss in its previous game by outlasting San Miguel in overtime, 112-108, as it continued to make its presence felt in the PBA Governors Cup.
The Road Warriors’ shock troopers took care of business in the extra period as Jhan Nermal, Richie Roger, and Robbie Herndon came through with clutch baskets that kept the Beermen at bay. Robert Bolick put the icing on the cake with two pressure-packed free throws to clinch the win before a full house at the Aquilino Pimentel Convention Center in Cagayan de Oro City.
The win came on the heels of NLEX’s 124-105 loss to league leader Rain or Shine. It was an embarrassing loss as the Road Warriors led by as many as 21 points in the first half but could not close the deal.
This time the Warriors could not be denied. They improved to 3-1 in Group B, second behind the Elasto Painters (4-0).
On the other hand, the Beermen suffered an uncharateristic second straight loss for an even 2-2 slate.
Below are the takeaways in the lone PBA game on Saturday:
1. NLEX IS ONE DANGEROUS TEAM – The Road Warriors are still lacking a solid big man who can be a threat inside. Thankfully, Bolick has a talented support crew, among them, Roger, Herndon, and Nermal who showed they can stand toe-to-toe against a talented San Miguel squad. At the same time, there's Michael Miranda, Baser Amer, Dominic Fajardo, veteran Dave Marcelo, and rookie Jonnel Policarpio who all did their share in helping take down the mighty Beermen after 53 minutes of play. Import Myke Henry came through with his usual all-around game. He had 33 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals that negated five turnovers.
2. BEERMEN SUPPORT CREW MISSING – Only three carried the offensive load for San Miguel. Import Jordan Adams (38), CJ Perez (29), and June Mar Fajardo (19), took the starring roles but no other player finished in double figures. Perez and Adams clustered five straight points at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime, where only Fajardo and Adams accounted for the Beermen's total output. Fajardo, the 6-foot-10 eighth time MVP, also grabbed 17 rebounds in a losing effort for San Miguel. The Beermen were coming off a 108-102 loss to Barangay Ginebra four days ago.
3. MIRANDA IS BEST SHOOTING BIG MAN SO FAR – The 6-foot-6 Miranda is proving to be the most accurate shooting big man early in this conference. In the Road Warriors’ last two games, he’s 3-of-4 from the 4-point arc, while 3-of-8 from the three-point line. He finished with 17 points against San Miguel and averaged 16.0 points for the Warriors in back-to-back games this week. Miranda missed NLEX’s first two games this season due to back injury.
4. UNDERDOGS HAVE WON BACK-T0-BACK IN OUT-OF-TOWN SORTIES – It was the Road Warriors’ turn to pull off the upset ax against the Beermen in the second provincial game this season. Last week, Rain or Shine stunned Barangay Ginebra, 73-64, in Candon, Ilocos Sur. Will underdogs prevail again next week in Panabo City, Davao del Norte when Magnolia tangles against Meralco? But who’s the underdog between the two?
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