IAN SANGALANG rose to the occasion when NLEX got the tough challenge it expected, fueling a fourth-quarter tear as the Road Warriors clipped Cagayan Valley, 84-75, yesterday to roll to a seventh straight win in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at JCSGO Gym in Cubao.
Sangalang buried a game-high 18 points, including eight straight in a 19-3 atack that gave the Road Warriors’ their biggest lead, 79-65, after trailing, 60-62.
The Road Warriors stretched their record streak to 24 games but coach Boyet Fernandez said the team’s goal is to clinch an outright Final Four slot, the incentive given to the top two teams at the end of the eliminations.
Earlier, Blackwater Sports improved to a share of second as the Elite survived Informatics, 67-64.
Blackwater tied idle Big Chill at 4-1, while Cagayan slipped to 4-2.
The scores:
First Game
BLACKWATER SPORTS 67—Ferrer 18, Chua 11, Mazo 11, Llagas 9, Mangahas 8, Fortuna 7, G. Ciriacruz 3, Abdul 0, Vigil 0, Pe 0, I. Ciricaruz 0, Celiz 0.
INFORMATICS 64—Rublico 14, Rogado 13, Bautista 12, Benitez 11, Del Rosario 6, Ablaza 5, Melegrito 2, Hayes 1, Cabonce 0, Sanghera 0, Carlos 0, Acuna 0, Montuano 0, Cruz 0.
Quarters: 18-13, 30-29, 51-52, 67-64
Second Game
NLEX 84—Sangalang 18, Long 10, Slaughter 9, J. Pascual 9, Ganuelas 8, Hermida 6, Alas 6, R. Pascual 5, Garcia 5, Salva 4, Lanete 4, Amer 0, Sumalinog 0, Camson 0.
CAGAYAN VALLEY 75—Poligrates 16, Lao 15, Cruz 11, Melano 7, Celada 7, Bringas 6, Almazan 5, Webb 4, Forrester 4, Gusi 0, Batolo 0, Exciminiano 0.
Quarters: 22-18, 41-41, 60-62, 84-75