Olu Ashaoulu delivers a double-double for NLEX Road Warriors. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–NLEX capped its sorry PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign with an 87-85 victory over Phoenix Pulse, dealing a big blow on Fuel Masters’ playoff push Friday at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.
The Road Warriors, who have been long eliminated from playoff contention, managed to overwhelm Fuel Masters early, thanks to a balanced attack by their cast.
“This is just a send-off on a winning note for us,” coach Yeng Guiao told reporters in the post-game presser. “We’ll start preparing for the next conference. We’ll have a short break but after that, we’ll start working on our preparations.”
Guiao, meanwhile, was quick to draw attention to how badly officiated the game was in his eyes.
“I don’t think the officiating was up to par to the effort that both teams put into this game,” he said. “The calls—they mean a lot to the teams. But it’s as if the referees don’t give as much importance to them as we do. They don’t feel what we feel. I think there’s a problem with that.”
“At least we’ve got something to bring moving forward. We survived a badly-officiated game,” added the mentor who was thrown out for a second technical foul late in the contest.
Olu Ashaoulu delivered 17 points and 17 rebounds for NLEX, while Kenneth Ighalo 14 more in scoring. JR Quiñahan and Philip Paniamogan both came off the bench and combined for 18.
Phoenix, in dire need of a win to bolster its playoff hopes, turned to RJ Jazul, who led the way with 20 points. Matthew Wright caught fire in down the stretch, but his total 16 points was a tad short in helping the Fuel Masters complete the comeback.
The loss sent coach Louie Alas and Fuel Masters to a 4-7 record, pushing them just past the fringe of qualified teams for the quarterfinals.
NLEX, meanwhile, ended its elimination campaign with a 3-8 record.
The scores:
NLEX 87 – Ashaolu 17, Ighalo 14, Quinahan 9, Paniamogan 9, Erram 7, Cruz 6, Lao 5, Tiongson 5, Fonacier 5, Taulava 4, Soyud 4, Varilla 2, Baguio 0, Galanza 0.
Phoenix 85 – Jazul 20, Wright 16, Mallari 13, Howell 11, Intal 6, Marcelo 6, Perkins 2, Napoles 0, Wilson 0, Guevarra 0, Gamboa 0.
Quarterscores: 21-11, 45-32, 65-54, 87-85
POST-GAME INTERVIEW