Terrafirma turned to a veteran and a rookie to come up big when it mattered most to stun NLEX, 97-91, and barge into the win column of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup Sunday night at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.
With the Dyip holding on to a precarious two-point lead after squandering a 16-point separation, Jerrick Ahanmisi drove hard for an underhand layup over Xyrus Torres with 37.1 seconds to go before freshman JM Bravo put on the finishing touch with an inside basket for the final count with 12.3 ticks left.
New Terrafirma head coach Ronald Tubid snagged his first career win as a mentor after being denied by Blackwater in a 20-point blowout loss in his debut last Wednesday.
“It’s very important for the team because in our first game, they were a bit too excited. They know that they can win so credit also to the coaches,” Tubid said.
“Although we’re undersized, we told them that as long as we compete, we have a chance to win.”
Bravo led the way, scoring 10 of his 18 points in the third quarter while grabbing eight rebounds for the Dyip. Ahanmisi added 14 points while Paolo Hernandez and Didat Hanapi had 13 each.
Terrafirma opened a 78-62 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Road Warriors made a furious rally to get within two, 93-91, after JB Bahio’s basket with 59.9 seconds left.
Ahanmisi quickly answered with a drive, Torres missed a four-pointer on NLEX’s possession before Bravo’s dagger.
