PBA D-LEAGUE IMAGE by Nuki Sabio
MANILA, Philippines — NLEX held off a tough Jumbo Plastic, 71-59, with Kevin Alas and Rome Dela Rosa providing the finishing touches on Thursday in the 2014 PBA D-League Foundation Cup.
After the Giants took the lead 49-47 with over eight minutes to play, the Road Warriors closed out with a 24-10 run to seal a spot in the playoffs with a seventh straight win.
Dela Rosa and Alas combined for 11 points in that stretch. Alas finished with 14 points while Jake Pascual had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Road Warriors.
“Our goal is to make it to the top two right away. I think we’re very much on target,” said the returning NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez.
“As I’ve been always saying, Jumbo Plastic is a tough defensive team. They proved it today.”
It was a tough loss for the Giants as they missed a lot of opportunities in the last five minutes that could have handed them the upset.
Jeff Viernes had 15 points while Jerick Cañada added 12 and six assists for the Jumbo Plastic, which had their four-game winning streak snapped.