GLOBALPORT’S young guns provided all the highlights but NLEX’s veterans showed how to get the job done.
Asi Taulava and Niño Canaleta came up with the big shots in the final two minutes to lead the Road Warriors to a come-from-behind 101-96 victory over Batang Pier for a sizzling debut in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 41-year-old Taulava and the 10-year pro Canaleta made 11 of NLEX’s last 13 points to help carve out the thrilling victory as GlobalPort crumbled at crunch time.
Taulava, now the oldest player in the PBA, finished with a team-high 21 points and added eight rebounds while Canaleta hit two huge three-pointers during the Road Warriors’ run to spoil the league debut of top pick Stanley Pringle with Batang Pier and Terrence Romeo’s 33-point explosion.
Pringle was as good as advertised, displaying his impressive playmaking skills and all-around game and ended up with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in 40 minutes of action.
Alex Cabagnot, the third man in Batang Pier Head Coach Pido Jarencio’s “three-headed monster,” hit 23 points, but made only one in the second half and committed two crucial turnovers late in the game.
“Nahirapan kami sa match up sa tatlo [Romeo, Pringle and Cabagnot],” NLEX interim Coach Adonis Tierra said. “Start of the second half, nag-usap kami ng coaching staff, their pick and roll, small guys kaya nag-2-3 zone kami sa third quarter.”
Romeo’s triple gave Batang Pier a 92-88 lead with 2:47 remaining but Canaleta answered with his own trey that sparked the Road Warriors’ 11-2 run capped by Taualava’s basket to take a 99-94 advantage, 41.9 ticks left.
Cabagnot then turned the ball over in the next play for GlobalPort and after Mark Cardona, who had 20 in the game for NLEX, committed an error, Cabagnot threw an airball in the ensuing, leading to a split by Aldrech Ramos to ice the game for the newcomer NLEX.
Tierra took the coaching cudgels from Boyet Fernandez, whose San Beda College is still playing in the finals of National Collegiate Athletic Association against Arellano University.
Image credits: PBA Image