NLEX SNAPS OUT OF FUNK

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KWAME Alexander has just gotten an extension in his stay with NLEX, thanks largely to a fellow import who seems to have fully recovered from an injury and a pair of local teammates.

Michael Madanly and Alexander each notched 28 points, but the contributions of Asi Taulava and Macmac Cardona were huge in the Road Warriors’ 113-102 victory over Alaska Tuesday in the PBA Governors Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Madanly, who debuted in the league with 26 points but saw a dip in performance following a whiplash-like injury in NLEX’s opening game against Barako Bull, has seemingly regained his awesome form while the 42-year-oldTaulava notched his third double-double of the tourney with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

But it was Alexander adding 11 rebounds and being much more aggressive in attacking the basket than in an 89-108 loss to Talk N Text last week that should prompt management to re-think the idea of replacing him.

“We talked to him the last time, after our game with Talk ‘N Text. He kept on shooting in the perimeter, but we told him we took him (from a Greek league) because of his energy,” related NLEX head coach Boyet Fernandez. “The way he played tonight, I think management will think about it. He gave himself a chance to stay. He knows how important he is to this team.”

The win, its second in six games, snapped NLEX out of a two-game slide and moved it alongside idle defending champion Star and Barangay Ginebra at eighth-running spot.

Also, the path to inclusion among the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals is much clearer for NLEX now. But Fernandez is just pleased with the way his team realized its immediate goal.

“We’re happy we got this one. At last we won against Alaska,” said Fernandez, whose team beat the Uytengsu franchise for the first time in four meetings.

Romeo Travis wound up with a game-high 31 points on top of 12 rebounds, while Cyrus Baguio finished with a personal season-high 23 markers.

Yet the Aces did themselves in by failing to reprise the big charge they had in opening up the second half when winning time came, eventually dropping to a 4-2 slate and thus missing out on the chance to join idle Barako Bull at the top.

Alaska could only knock itself after blowing its last sizable lead at 77-64 before starting to unravel at about the same time NLEX gathered steam for that decisive push.

At the forefront of that irrepressible attack was Cardona, who went into the game averaging just 7.4 points per game but scored 14 of his conference-high 15 points in the second half, including nine in the fourth quarter.

With Madanly and Alexander doing their ample share NLEX broke out of the game’s fifth and last deadlock at 91 and erected an unassailable 109-99 cushion, only 33 seconds to go.

Fernandez said his players followed his instructions to the letter, especially in making stops, in the stretch that mattered most. “I am happy we stuck with our gameplan,” he stated. “We played defense. Our defense in the endgame helped us to win.”

That defense–and NLEX’s offense–was hardly seen when Alaska used a searing 21-2 run opening up the third quarter to post its first 13-point spread at 75-62.

In that 5:25 span, NLEX missed all eight of its field goal tries and also committed two turnovers while Alaska made all of its six attempts from the floor, kncluding 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Yet the Road Warriors managed to hang tough by leaning mostly on Alexander, whose six points kept them within 72-81.

After newly-acquired John Wilson connected on a layup and Taulava on a short stab, Cardona scored five points in a 7-2 exchange that pulled NLEX closer at 83-85.

After recovering from an alarming scoring drought spanning the first two quarters NLEX managed to bring a 60-54 lead into the second half, thanks largely to Madanly.

The Iranian hotshot already had 22 points at the turn, 13 coming during the initial quarter that propped the Road Warriors’ surge to an early 30-12 spread, before he added nine in stoking their drive from a 31-all standoff.

Helping Alaska stay in the game was Travis, who scattered 10 of his points in the second period.
It was Baguio producing 10 points in the opening quarter that enabled the Aces to whittle their 12-point deficit, helped along by their foes going 0-for-5 from the field and committing two turnovers in the final four minutes of the period.

The Road Warriors also missed their first four shots of the second period before Wilson’s fastbreak basket broke the spell and sparked their run to a 38-33 lead. (NC)

The scores:

NLEX 113 – Alexander 28, Madanly 28, Taulava 20, Cardona 15, Canaleta 6, Villanueva E. 5, Wilson 4, Villanueva J. 4, Arboleda W. 3, Borboran 0, Ramos 0.

ALASKA 102 – Travis 31, Baguio 23, Banchero 14, Casio 12, Jazul 8, Abueva 6, Manuel 2, Thoss 2, Menk 2, Dela Cruz 2, Dela Rosa 0, Exciminiano 0, Hontiveros 0.

Quarterscores: 31-29, 60-54, 83-85, 113-102

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