NLEX beats Blackwater, on cusp of sixth PBA D-League title

MANILA, Philippines—After a sluggish start from NLEX, Ronald Pascual pumped life into the Road Warriors’ bid en route to a  90-77 victory over Blackwater in Game 1 of their titular PBA D-League Foundation Cup series Friday.

Pascual finished with 17 points and sparked a pivotal second quarter rally that put the PBA-bound Road Warriors ahead for good.

“When my first attempt went in, I had a strong feeling I was hot. So I just shot the ball everytime I had an opportunity,” said Ronald Pascual, who is joining the PBA Rookie Draft in August.

Pascual nailed 11 points in the second period where Road Warriors battled back from a 4-11 deficit for a 45-40 halftime advantage.

“We started flat because of the new game plan but eventually it worked. I’m glad my players bought it,” said NLEX head coach Boyet Fernandez.

Sweet-shooting forward Art dela Cruz, meanwhile, tallied 18 point for the Road Warriors, who led by as many as 88-70 late in the game.

The league’s most dominant team with five titles can reclaim the title from  the Elite on Monday in game 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Elite, another team jumping to the PBA this year, failed to cash in on a fast start and moved to the brink of endings its D-League stint on a sour note.

Reil Cervantes led all scorers with 20 points but failed to make an impact in the second even as the other usual reliables like Kevin Ferrer, Gio Ciriacruz and Gilbert Bulawan didn’t step up.

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