The Mahindra Enforcers jumped to second place in the standings as they beat the NLEX Road Warriors, 106-99, in the 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The win was the Enforcers’ second in a row and third in four games, a victory made possible by a furious endgame duel. A 15-4 blast in the final five minutes of the game decided the outcome as it turned a three-point deficit into a 102-94 lead with just 30 ticks left on the clock.
Import Augustus Gilchrist led the way for Mahindra with 30 points and 10 rebounds while KG Canaleta added 21 markers. Chito Jaime also had an impressive outing with a double-double of 15 points and 11 boards. Cebuano forward Aldrech Ramos also had one with 12 and 10 rebounds.
The Enforcers started their breakaway with six straight points from Canaleta and Gilchrist.
Point guard LA Revilla added two lay-ups and Mike Digregorio capped things off with two freebies that pushed their lead to eight and all but put the game away.
Digregorio added 13 markers and Revilla had 10 points and six assists.
NLEX reinforcement Al Thornton paced the Road Warriors with 29 points. Sean Anthony contributed 18 points and nine boards while ageless center Asi Taulava had 10 points and 12 boards. NLEX dropped to 2-2.
The scores:
Mahindra 106 — Gilchrist 30, Canaleta 21, Jaime 15, Digregorio 13, Ramos 12, Revilla 10, Dehesa 5, Guinto 0, Yee 0, Pinto 0, Hubalde 0.
NLEX 99- Thornton 29, Anthony 18, J. Villanueva 15, Taulava 10, Enciso 9, Alas 8, Lanete 5, Borboran 3, Khobuntin 2, E. Villanueva 0, Reyes 0.
Quarters: 27-20; 48-45; 74-70; 106-99
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
