Asi Taulava leads NLEX past GlobalPort in Road Warriors' PBA debut

Published October 21, 2014 6:28pm

Asi Taulava hit the big buckets down the stretch for NLEX. PBA/Nuki Sabio

The NLEX Road Warriors continued their winning ways, at least for their first PBA game, rallying to defeat the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 101-96, on Tuesday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

It was an auspicious debut for NLEX, the D-League dynasty that took over the Air 21 Express franchise prior to the season.

The Road Warriors leaned on veteran star Asi Taulava down the stretch. The league's oldest player at 41 years old, Taulava scored 10 points in a 19-5 run that turned a 87-78 deficit into a 97-92 edge with 1:19 remaining in the game.

"I just wanted to build on what I had last season," said Taulava, who made it to the Mythical First Team last season in his first full year back in the PBA after a stint in the ASEAN Basketball League.

"Si Asi, gusto lagi nasa loob, pero kailangan namin pagpahingahin para sa fourth strong finish si Asi," said NLEX interim coach Adonis Tierra, who took over the reins for the Road Warriors with head coach Boyet Fernandez still finishing up his commitments to the San Beda Red Lions in the NCAA.

Taulava finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Mac Cardona added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Road Warriors. Aldrech Ramos and Enrico Villanueva chipped in 15 and 11 points, respectively, for NLEX.

The loss spoiled a 33-point game from Batang Pier star guard Terrence Romeo, who put GlobalPort in control for most of the game along with backcourt mates Alex Cabagnot and Stanley Pringle. Cabagnot finished with 23 points, while top overall pick Pringle had a solid debut with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

"Honestly, may problema kami sa gameplan, 'di namin napanood yung mga preseason game ng GlobalPort," admitted Tierra. "Yung matchup medyo mabigat yung tatlo, Romeo, Cabagnot, and Pringle."

Striking distance

The Road Warriors persevered to remain within striking distance, never allowing the deficit to get bigger than 10 points.

"We just kept telling one another other, 'It's a fourth quarter game,'" said Taulava. "They're making their shots in three quarters, let's see what you have in the fourth quarter."

The Road Warriors slowly climbed back in the fourth quarter as they switched on a 2-3 zone defense to pull off key stops.

"They're got a jump shooter team. We got an advantage because their big guys, we aren't afraid of them in the post. We were forcing them to take long shots," Taulava said.

"They live and die with the three-point line. We took advantage of that."

With 1:42 left in the game, Taulava asserted his might on the paint to pick up a foul for a three-point play. NLEX snatched the lead, 94-92, and then never looked back.

Despite being a new team in the league, NLEX is hopeful for a spot in the playoffs.

"We wanna put themselves in a good position so everybody has confidence by the time we do make it into the playoffs and that's when we need everybody," Taulava said. — JST, GMA News

The scores:

NLEX 101 - Taulava 21, Cardona 20, Ramos 16, Villanueva 11, Borboran 9, Canaleta 8, Villanueva 8, Raymundo 5, Camson 2, Villarias 1, Poligrates 0, Apinan 0, Baloria 0.

GLOBALPORT 96 - Romeo 33, Cabagnot 23, Pringle 14, Buenafe 6, Nabong 6, De Ocampo 6, Baclao 4, Isip 2, Jensen 2, Taha 0, Duncil 0, Ponferada 0, Cabrera 0.

Quarters: 25-29, 47-53, 70-76, 101-96

Tags: nlexroadwarriors, globalportbatangpier, pba