WITH a great staying power, the NLEX Road Warriors survived a tough overtime grind and nailed their first back-to-back wins in the PBA Philippine Cup.
The Road Warriors squandered a huge 19-point deficit but waged their own fightback from five down in the last 18 seconds in regulation then outfought the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters in OT of a classic match at the Big Dome Thursday.
Clutch hits by Calvin Oftana, Don Trollano and JR Quinahan saved the Road Warriors and sealed their 114-108 triumph that solidified their position at fifth place with a 4-2 win-loss card.
Oftana banged away back-to-back treys that forged the extra play at 103-all, then Trollano and Quinahan had their killer hits to complete their hard-earned win, foiling Phoenix's dramatic comeback.
"Mahirap talagang talunin ang team (Phoenix) na ito. Swerte lang kami sinamahan ng big breaks, nag-foul out si Sean Anthony at Matthew Wright, at hindi pa rin naglaro si Jason Perkins," said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao.
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Anthony fouled out with 1:59 left to play in the fourth quarter and Wright followed suit with 4:49 to go in OT. And there's Larry Muyang suffering cramps as the Fuel Masters ran out of gas and went down to a third straight loss and their fifth in seven games in all.
The Road Warriors stayed standing and fighting until the end, preserving the sterling efforts of Oftana, Quinahan, Trollano and Kevin Alas.
Oftana's two triples in the dying seconds in regulation highlighted a near triple-double game with 22 markers, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
"Ginawa ko lang ang trabaho ko," said Oftana, draining a total of four three-pointers.
"Kumpiyansa ako pag pinasahan ako ng mga kasama ko. Ititira ko talaga dahil hindi naman nagagalit si coach," said Oftana.
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Quinahan came through with 21 points, Alas 18 and Trollano 17.
Wright and Anthony had made 19 and 17, respectively, before taking their exits.
Also delivering double-digit outputs for the Fuel Masters were Tyler Tio (18), Muyang (17) and RJ Jazul (12).
The Scores:
NLEX 114 - Oftana 22, Quinahan 21, Alas 18, Trollano 17, Chua 12, Rosales 9, Miranda 5, Semerad 4, Ighalo 2, Soyud 2, Paniamogan 2, Fonacier 0.
Phoenix 108 - Wright 19, Tio 18, Muyang 17, Anthony 17, Jazul 12, Mocon 8, Manganti 4, Garcia 4, Pascual 4, Rios 3, Rosales 2, Porter 0, Lalata 0.
Quarters: 23-7, 47-43, 72-70, 103-103, 114-108 (OT)
