PRACTICALLY everybody was expecting Manny Harris to put on a fiery show in his PBA debut, what with his reputation as a big-time scorer.
The former NBA campaigner and NBA G-League standout did not disappoint.
Harris readily scattered 45 points in his first game, powering NLEX to a 117-111 victory over tenacious Columbian Wednesday in the PBA Governors Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The reed-thin 30-year-old scattered 15 of his game-high 45 points in the fourth quarter, including nine in the stretch when the Road Warriors found themselves threatened by the Dyip who refused to give up despite falling behind by as many as 17 points.
Kiefer Ravena scored only 11 points but came up with a crucial steal inside the last 44 seconds that fully turned the tide in NLEX's favor and enabled it to secure its second straight win and fifth in six games overall that put it just behind idle leader TNT's 6-0 slate.
Sponsored content:
Even JR Quinahan came up big in the endgame, lacing his 15 points with three charities that broke the Road Warriors off from the game's last deadlock and giving them a 109-106 spread, only 67 seconds to go.
"We expected a hard game against Columbian," said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao. "We had a good lead in the first half, but we were kinda surprised we got that lead. Columbian is a different team now, but we played good defense in the first half.
"In the second half, we were more relaxed and that allowed them to put up that rally."
Rookie sensation CJ Perez overcame some early shooting woes to wind up with a team-high 21 points while Khapri Alston also heated up late to notch 19 points, a game-best 17 rebounds and seven assists.
Juami Tiongson, dealt by NLEX to Columbian before the conference started, also proved to be another thorn on the side of his former team with 18 points before fouling out.
Sponsored content:
Still, all those could not completely make up for a bad shooting night for Rashawn McCarthy, usually good for almost 18 points an outing but scored on only three charities this time while missing all his 11 shots from the field.
The loss was Columbian's third in six games and mainly because of Harris, a former Michigan Wolverine who has had stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. That's not to mention his tours of duty with the Canton Charge and Los Angeles D-Fenders, where he set franchise scoring records.
Inserted back into the game at the height of Columbian's surge from a 79-93 deficit, Harris readily took charge with an initial six-point output that kept NLEX ahead 104-98.
Alston's four straight points capped an 8-2 run that enabled the Dyip to keep abreast of the Road Warriors at 106.
After Quinahan's charities and Ravena's steal, Harris took complete charge. He scored on a left-handed drive and completed the three-point play before canning four more freebies in the last 20 seconds that all but sealed the deal.
Harris also notched five rebounds, four assists, three steals and as many blocks against four turnovers and set the tone for NLEX early with nine points in the first quarter that pointed the team to a 16-2 lead.
He added nine more in the second period and scattered 10 in the third quarter, helping the Road Warriors erect as much as an 83-66 spread before maintaining an 87-77 cushion going to the last 12 minutes of play. (NC)
The scores:
NLEX 117 - Harris 45, Quinahan 15, Ravena 11, Galanza 9, Soyud 7, Ighalo 6, Taulava 6, Cruz 6, Miranda 5, Paniamogan 5, Erram 2, Baguio 0, Lao 0.
Columbian 111 - Perez 21, Corpuz 20, Alston 19, Tiongson 18, Celda 12, Calvo 7, Agovida 6, Cahilig 3, McCarthy 3, Faundo 2, Cabrera 0, Flores 0.
Quarterscores: 28-20, 54-44, 87-77, 117-111.
