NLEX Edges Meralco in Tight Philippine Cup Contest; Rain or Shine Narrowly Beats Titan Ultra

The NLEX Road Warriors held on to a narrow 89-85 victory against the Meralco Bolts in a closely contested PBA Philippine Cup game at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Sunday. With this win, NLEX extended their streak to two consecutive victories, while Meralco’s three-game winning run was halted.

JB Bahio led NLEX with an impressive performance, totaling 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal. Bench contributor Kevin Alas added 12 points, and Robert Bolick nearly recorded a triple-double with 11 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds.

NLEX managed an 11-point lead at 83-72 with 7:18 left in the game following an and-one play by Kevin Alas. However, the resilient Meralco Bolts chipped away at the deficit with a 13-4 run, bringing the score to 87-85 after CJ Cansino’s layup with just 13.3 seconds remaining.

Bolick was fouled on the next possession and calmly converted free throws to extend the lead to four. Meralco’s Bong Quinto then missed a critical four-point shot as time expired, securing the Road Warriors' win. Javee Mocon grabbed the crucial rebound to close out the game.

Supporting contributors for NLEX included Jonnel Policarpio and Robbie Herndon, who each scored 10 points. For Meralco, CJ Cansino led all scorers with 24 points, along with five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks, while Chris Nesome added 21 points.

With the result, Meralco’s record fell to 3-3, while NLEX improved to 3-1.

Earlier in the day, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters narrowly defeated the Titan Ultra Giant Risers, 112-111. Holding a three-point lead with seconds remaining, Rain or Shine was awarded four free throws to Anton Asistio, who made all shots to secure the lead. Calvin Abueva had an opportunity to snatch victory for Titan Ultra with a last-second jumper, but it failed to connect.

Adrian Nocum and Santi Santillan paced the Elasto Painters with 24 and 21 points respectively, while Jhonard Clarito contributed 19 points and six rebounds. Abueva posted a standout performance with 31 points and 18 rebounds, although Titan Ultra suffered their fourth straight loss, dropping to 1-4.

Rain or Shine’s record improved to 3-1 following their thriller against Titan Ultra.