NLEX buries Derulo Accelero in a laugher to clinch semis berth
Garvo Lanete of NLEX (dark) vs Jose Manuel of Derulo (light). (PBA IMAGES)
MANILA, Philippines — NLEX showcased its firepower and buried lightweight Derulo Accelero in a 111-64 laugher Thursday to book a semifinals appearance in the 2014 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup.
All 14 of the Road Warriors chipped in at least two points with Garvo Lanete finishing with 13, Ryusei Koga with 12, Kevin Alas with 11, and Ola Adeogun and Jake Pascual both with 10.
NLEX turned a 54-39 halftime lead to a whopping win by scoring 57 points in the second half alone, just seven points less of what Derulo Accelero managed all game.
“I’m happy we won this game. Every game is important for us,” said head coach Boyet Fernandez as they gained a share of the top spot with Big Chill.
At 10-1 with two games left to play, the worst spot NLEX could end up in at the end of elimations is second place as it holds a superior quotient in case of a tie.
The Road Warriors face heavyweight Cagayan in their next game as the elimination round nears its end.
“We just have to be ready for Cagayan. We respect them very much and they’ve been playing really well even though they were upset in the last game,” Fernandez added.
The Oilers, whose core is made up for players from University of the Philippines, dropped to 1-11 as they allowed NLEX to turn their 26 turnovers to 34 points.
Raul Soyud, Jackon Corpuez and Clark Bautista all had 11 points for Deluro Accelero.
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