Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
NLEX went on a pivotal run in the second quarter en route to a dominating 91-70 win over Alaska in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
JR Quiñahan nailed back-to-back triples during a key 14-5 surge by the Road Warriors, who went on cruise control in the second half.
Ironically, NLEX’s run happened right after its head coach Yeng Guiao got tossed at the 5:19 mark of the second quarter.
“For some reason, we always play Alaska well,” said NLEX deputy Jojo Lastimosa, who called the shots after Guiao’s ejection. “If you noticed, the last couple of years with coach Yeng, I think Alaska has only won once over us.”
“We have a great record against them and we were confident heading into this game that we’re going to win against them,” added Lastimosa, whose squad led by as much as 28.
It showed with NLEX keeping its foot on the gas pedal from the opening tip up to the final buzzer.
Quiñahan finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals to help NLEX win its third game in eight tries.
Bong Galanza also scored 14 while Poy Erram just missed a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.
Jeron Teng led the Aces (3-4) with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Alaska played without key players Vic Manuel, Kevin Racal and JVee Casio due to injuries.