PBA-DL: NLEX looking for the sweep, Freego looking to force decider

The NLEX Road Warriors try to wrap up the best-of-three championship series Tuesday against Freego Jeans and claim their second consecutive crown in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup. The 3 p.m. encounter at The Arena in San Juan is expected to be an all-out battle with NLEX shooting for a sweep and Freego fighting for survival and force a Game 3. “We are determined to end it in Game 2,” said NLEX coach Boyet Fernadez. Ian Sangalang paced the Road Warriors as the big man had 20 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. RR Garcia also contributed 13 points, five rebounds and five assists while Calvin Abueva grabbed 15 rebounds to help his team to the series opener. The NLEX tactician believes that Freego will be a different team than the one they defeated handily, 75-51, in Game 1 last week. Freego looked rusty after sweeping Cebuana Lhuillier in the semifinal round as it shot three-of-18 from beyond the arc and only 27.9 percent from the field. Lester Alvarez had 13 points but was a sub-par one-of-10 from the three-point range while Alex Nuyles and Eric Camson were held to only single digits in scoring. “They were just out-of-sync because Freego took a long break. I’m sure they will make adjustments and will be ready against us,” Fernandez assessed. Even though he admitted that NLEX is an overwhelming opponent, Freego Jeans coach Leo Austria said that they will give the Road Warriors a good fight in Game 2. “We can’t match up with NLEX in terms of skills and athleticism. We are really overmatched and the only thing that we need to do is match their intensity, play smart and play with a hustle,” Austria said. To take the pressure off from his squad, Austria gave his wards a day-off Friday after the Jeans Makers were beaten convincingly, before they returned back to practice Saturday. Before Game 2, the league will announce the Best Player of the Conference. - AMD, GMA News