PBA-DL: Blackwater upsets NLEX, snatches game one away from defending champs

(Updated 5:07pm) The Blackwater Sports Elite threw a roadblock at the NLEX Road Warriors' drive for a fifth straight PBA D-League conference championship, as they seized game one of the 2013 Foundation Cup finals on Thursday, 70-67, at the Ynares Sports Arena.

The Elite dealt NLEX their first loss in the Finals. The Road Warriors had previously swept their way to the previous four D-League titles, winning each of the past series in two games.

"Hindi naman bakal ang kinakain nito; bigas lang kagaya natin," said Elite head coach Leo Isaac on how he motivated his players for their first-ever finals appearance in the league.

"All we had to do is condition our minds na kaya natin sila. I had to settle my players after halftime," added Isaac, expressing confidence that Blackwater Sports can beat the league leaders if they stuck to their gameplan and kept their composure. "Nagkataon lang na championship game ito."

Blackwater Sports trailed by as much as 14 points as the first half wound down, but they redeemed themselves with a furious 19-9 rally to enter the fourth quarter in control, 56-52. The Elite managed to frustrate the NLEX pivotmen before deciding to take what the defense gave them, thus setting up Ronald Pascual for back-to-back three-pointers for a 67-66 lead. Meanwhile Blackwater Sports missed their next six field goals against robust resistance from the NLEX.

The ball fell out of bounds after a Kevin Ferrer fast break try, but the Elite turned the ball over on the inbounds, which led to NLEX calling timeout with 31.2 seconds left. Blackwater Sports then forced Ronald Pascual into miss from beyond the arc, and Gio Ciriacruz found Ferrer for a backdoor lay-up, 68-67, leaving 14.4 seconds on the clock.

The Road Warriors called for time anew to advance the ball, only for Robby Celiz to intercept Ronald Pascual's inbounds pass. Two quick fouls sent Allan Mangahas to the free throw line with 12.1 seconds remaining, and the point guard made both attempts from the line, 70-67.

NLEX ran the ball upcourt and had a couple chances to win as they rebounded the ball after another Ronald Pascual miss from deep, but Garvo Lanete's corner heave as time expired glanced off the side of the rim.

Justin Chua led all scorers with 17 points, while Allan Mangahas added 16 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Pari Llagas had eight points to go with 10 rebounds.

"Sinabi ko lang na alam naman natin yung pwedeng sumakit sa atin," said Isaac. "So sa ganung sitwasyon, kailangan ng extra effort at disiplina para manalo. We called timeout, we were able to regroup and we were successful."

Save for a couple of lay-ups by Justin Chua, the Elite were kept out of the paint via stingy defense by the Road Warriors in the first quarter. Meanwhile NLEX spaced the floor well and exploited Blackwater in transition,as Ronald and Jake Pascual highlighted a 13-7 lead.

With under four minutes to play, drives by Robby Celiz and Gio Ciriacruz trimmed the margin down to three, 15-12. But NLEX kept their grip on the lead as they worked through Greg Slaughter in the post, and a triple by Kevin Alas ensured a 20-14 advantage for the Road Warriors after the first period.

Allan Mangahas opened the second quarter with a triple for the Elite, but they had little success in neutralizing NLEX's advantage in the paint. Blackwater Sports managed to cut their deficit to two on a jumper by Hyram Bagatsing, but they were unable to contain the Road Warriors' scoring onslaught. EJ Camson and Jake Pascual made consecutive shots in the paint, and Byron Villarias' twin triples bannered a 15-3 swing for NLEX, 38-24.

An Eric Sugitan and-one broke the streak with under two minutes to play, and gave Blackwater Sports their second field goal since the seven-minute mark. Sugitan then scored once more on the break to shave the deficit, 38-29, after the first half.

The Road Warriors shot 14-of-37 (37.8 percent) in the first two periods, while Blackwater Sports converted 12-of-37 from the field (32.4 percent). NLEX also led in rebounds (29-22), assists (10-6) and turnovers (4-6).


The Elite showed more patience on offense to begin the third quarter. Aggressive play by Celiz, coupled with stiff interior defense, nicked the lead to three, 45-42, with three minutes to play.

NLEX tried to adjust by subbing out Slaughter and Jake Pascual for the quicker tandem of Nico Salva and Camson. However, poor entry passes led to transition opportunities for Blackwater Sports, who seized the lead on a fast break lay-up by Chua, 48-47.

A Salva and-one briefly handed the lead back to NLEX with under two minutes to play, but good floor spacing by the Elite led to consecutive treys by Allan Mangahas, giving them a 56-52 advantage heading into the final frame.

Chua and Llagas led their team early in the fourth as they made plays around the rim. The Road Warriors countered with heady play from Garvo Lanete and Slaughter. NLEX, who were still susceptible to turnovers on entry passes, trailed 66-61, before the Road Warriors adjusted to give Ronald Pascual his chance to rally them back in the final three minutes.

Blackwater Sports finished the game with a 26-of-76 clip from the field (34.2 percent), and converted 6-of-15 (40 percent) three-pointers. NLEX on the other hand made 24-of-70 field goals (34.3 percent), including 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) from beyond the arc.

The defending Foundation Cup champs could've kept the game closer had they converted more from the line. They made just 12-of-20 (60 percent) tries, including 7-of-11 by Slaughter, while the Elite were 12-of-14 (85.7 percent).

Garvo Lanete top-scored for the Road Warriors with 12 points. Nico Salva and Ronald Pascual added 10 markers apiece while the latter added seven boards. Jake Pascual notched six points and nine rebounds, while Greg Slaughter was held to nine points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Blackwater Sports 70: Chua 17, A Mangahas 16, Llagas 8, Ciriacruz 7, Celiz 7, Ferrer 6, Sugitan 5, Bagatsing 2, Vigil 2, Mazo 0, Pe 0, J Mangahas 0, Austria 0

NLEX 67: Lanete 12, Salva 10, R Pascual 10, Slaughter 9, Long 7, Villarias 6, J Pascual 6, Camson 4, Alas 3, Amer 0, Hermida 0, Garcia 0

Quarter scoring: 14-20, 29-38, 56-52, 70-67