MANILA, Philippines - Unbeaten NLEX hopes to come out strong following a scrambling victory over Jose Rizal U last week as it goes for win No. 4 and the solo lead against winless Informatics in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the San Juan gym today.
The Road Warriors nearly paid dearly for their overconfidence but held on to scrape past the Bombers, 91-87, and match the Big Chill Superchargers’ 3-0 start.
NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez actually put the blame on himself for their near defeat, saying he messed up with their chemistry because he wants to give everybody playing minutes.
“That (narrow win) really wakes up everyone in the team,” said Fernandez. He added that he’s going for a short rotation in their scheduled 4 p.m. showdown against the newcomer Icons, winless in two starts.
“We are not taking Informatics lightly. They have quality players and experienced coach. So we need to play solid for 40 minutes and not by spurts. We also have to play defense if we intend to win,” said Fernandez.
The Icons, one of three newcomers in the league, played fairly well against Cagayan Valley and Erase Xfoliant but came up short both times due to lack of experience and the absence of a reliable go-to-guy at crunchtime.
Meanwhile, Fruitas and Blackwater Sports, both toting 1-1 cards, clash in the 2 p.m. opener featuring the duel of Nigerian center Ola Adeogun of the Shakers and Cameroonian Karim Abdul of the Elite.
Adeogun scored a conference high 30 points and had 13 rebounds to help lift the Shakers past the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems, 91-90, last Nov. 8. In contrast, Abdul is still feeling his way around and it may take awhile before he fits into the team, according to Blackwater Sports coach Leo Isaac.