Of all the losses that have collected around NLEX’s feet, this is most likely the one the Road Warriors wish they could kick away.
NLEX was riding on a huge momentum crest in the first half—establishing a season scoring mark along the way—before watching TNT come back in scintillating fashion for a 126-121 overtime victory Friday at Mall of Asia Arena.
What was supposed to be NLEX’s breakthrough victory in their first PBA Commissioner’s Cup tournament under coach Yeng Guiao turned out to be a bitter extension of their current spiral: The team has now lost its first five matches here.
“It’s still part of the struggle,” said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao, who has won just twice with the Road Warriors since joining the team this season. “We played probably our best first half and then our worst second half so it’s disappointing.”
For the Texters? It was their biggest turnaround in franchise history after having rallied past a 23-point hole against Alaska in Game 3 of the 2007 Fiesta Finals.
“It was the players who talked before I entered the dugout, they were already talking with each other and they were trying to find ways to rally back,” said TNT coach Nash Racela.
Jayson Castro led the second half charge for TNT, which trailed 76-53 at halftime after the Road Warriors’ record-setting performance in the first two quarters.
TNT improved to 3-1.
San Miguel Beer, meanwhile, continued its winning start to the tournament by whipping Phoenix, 110-88, in the second game.
June Mar Fajardo led the Beermen with 22 points in a game that almost matched the high-scoring pace of the earlier match, where the Road Warriors’ 76 points in the first half were the most scored in that same stretch this season.
But all that meant nothing as the Texters outscored them, 73-45, the rest of the way.
“It’s just the lack of maturity, lack of character and probably the ability to close out games,” said Guiao. “That’s been our weakest point; we haven’t been able to be mentally tough throughout the game.”
“Having been with the team for the past five, six months, I was expecting that they’d be a little bit tougher, more mature. That’s where I was disappointed.”
TNT, which at one point trailed, 60-89, was eventually able to dictate the tempo in overtime, going on an early 7-0 run with Roger Pogoy hitting a triple from the right wing to give the Texters a 120-113 lead.
Meanwhile, the PBA is celebrating its 42nd anniversary with a bang on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.
“We owe our fans a great deal of gratitude. They are the reason why the PBA remains strong through these years,” said PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa.