THE Pangasinan Heatwaves suffered a crushing defeat in the hands of league-leader Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards in an overtime thriller, 94-101, held April 25 at  the Calasiao Sports Complex for the ongoing 7^th Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.

During the opening period, Pangasinan was off to a sloppy start with seven turnovers,  alongside its 43% field goal shooting, while Nueva Ecija capitalized on its mid-range shooting,  courtesy of Robby Celiz with  six markers, 15-26.

In the second frame, Vic Manuel hoisted Pangasinan’s offense through his jump hooks and posted six points to counter, but Jammer Jamito and Jaycee Marcelino took care of Nueva Ecija, scoring  four points apiece to extend the lead at the half, 29-49.

In the third juncture, Rice Vanguards’ Christian Manaytay provided support off-the-bench through his outside hits with five points. On the other hand, Heatwaves’ leading scorer Manuel erupted for 11 points through his inside connections to rally, 73-61.

Bottom of the fourth with two minutes remaining, Pangasinan staged a last-ditch rally through the back-to-back and one plays of Jay Collado, followed by four free-throw conversions of Bong Galanza, 85-88.

Heatwaves in possession with 17 seconds left, Ralph Robin drained a three-pointer to tie the score at 88 all to forge an extension.

In the extra period, Nueva Ecija asserted its defensive mastery after holding off Pangasinan with only one made basket. Rice Vanguards’  Celiz sustained his hot shooting streak with his 6-point cluster to seize control of the game.

The Pangasinan Heatwaves remained at the fifth spot of the Northern Division rankings of the 7^thMPBL season with a 5-2 win-loss card. (Kim Gealogo)

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments