THE BARAKO Bull Energy wasted away a 21-point lead but recovered just in time to register a 101-96 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors in the PBA Governors’ Cup yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
High-leaping forward JC Intal proved to be Barako’s saving grace as he scored 14 of his 22 points in the payoff period. He added 11 rebounds for good measure to complement their import Liam McMorrow’s monster game of 33 points and 22 boards.
Finally free from Ginebra and injuries, former UAAP MVP Dylan Ababou came off the bench and scored 16 points to help the Energy kick off their campaign in the season-ending conference on a winning note.
Interestingly, Barako has had victorious conference debuts in nine of the last 12 conferences.
After the game, Barako head coach Koy Banal expressed his satisfaction with his team’s composure down the stretch especially when the Road Warriors made their decisive push.
“Everybody stayed positive and we’re able to turn things around in the fourth,” Banal said.
Still, it was a hard-earned win for Barako, who trailed, 75-80, after leading by as many as 21, 47-26, in the second quarter.
Asian import Michael Madanly led NLEX with 26 points before sitting out the rest of the final frame after colliding with Willie Wilson late in the third.
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