PBA-DL: Multi-titled NLEX Road Warriors rout Erase Xfoliant in auspicious debut

In all three of the past PBA Developmental League conferences, the NLEX Road Warriors have emerged on top. They're now looking to make it four-for-four. Despite going through a roster overhaul in the offseason due to the PBA Draft, the Road Warriors' new unit still looks as dominant as ever, clobbering Erase Xfoliant from start to finish, to wind up with a 101-71 win, Tuesday, at the FilOil Flying V Arena. Former San Beda Red Lions Garvo Lanete, one of the holdovers from the 2011-12 season, led a balanced NLEX attack, scoring 17 points in 17 minutes through an efficient 70 percent clip from the field. He was just one of six Road Warriors who finished with double-digit scoring, as all 14 players in their line-up were given ample time on the floor, with only former two-time UAAP Finals MVP Nico Salva hitting the 20-minute mark. Another Atenean, guard Kirk Long, started the scoring parade for NLEX, by dropping 10 of his 12 points in the first quarter. Long also played brilliant defense all-game long on Erase Xfoliant's Jett Vidal, as the Perpetual Help Alta finished with a miserable 1-of-14 outing from the field. The Road Warriors held a 30-19 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, as they built up that up to more than 40 points thanks to their high-octane offense. The final score would have been even more lopsided, had it not been for Erase's Nate Matute, who canned four straight triples in the closing minutes of the game. After the dust settled, all the talk in the arena centered on how strong the NLEX line-up looked, but their head coach quickly brushed off all the compliments. "The players have all the talent," head coach Boyet Fernandez said. "How we will play as a team is what worries me." While chemistry might be a worry for the NLEX mentor, the stats actually showed that there was little to worry about, for this game at least. The Road Warriors shared the ball well, tallying 24 assists, compared to just 10 for Erase. Though the Road Warriors did not have a lot of time to practice together, owing to the schedule of the collegiate leagues, it was noticeable how all the players seemed to know their roles. NCAA MVP Ian Sangalang, Eric Camson, and Jake Pascual patrolled the boards. NCAA Finals MVP Baser Amer, RR Garcia, and Borgie Hermida handed out assists, while Lanete, Salva, Ronald Pascual, and Smart Gilas alum Matt Ganuelas took care of the scoring. Erase Xfoliant tried to rough it up to gain some traction, but it only resulted in them losing some key contributors. Ervic Vijandre and Macky Acosta were both ejected from the game for hitting Pascual and Russel Escoto, respectively, while Vidal was called for a flagrant foul penalty 1. The only blemish in the otherwise perfect game was NLEX giving up 22 offensive rebounds to their opponents. However, this issue will likely be corrected, as seven-foot Greg Slaughter is set to suit up for the Road Warriors as soon as his papers are in order. - AMD, GMA News The scores: NLEX 101: Lanete 17, Sangalang 14, Salva 13, Ganuelas 13, Long 12, Pascual 10, Sumalinog 7, Camson 6, Amer 2, Pascual 2, Alas 2, Garcia 1, Escoto 0 Erase Xfoliant 71: Matute 22, Mendoza 15, Acosta 8, Stevens 5, Thompson 4, Gomez 4, Babayeme 2, Cornejo 2, Vidal 2, Arboleda 0, Vijandre 0 Quarter scoring: 30-19, 49-30, 76-44, 101-71