NLEX still searching for a win after defeat from Alaska

“Final: 100 – 87 in favor of the Alaska Aces! Best Player: Jeron Teng with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists #PBALabanKungLaban” (Photo: PBA/Facebook)

Jeron Teng had a breakout game with 20 points and a career-high of 15 rebounds to end his team’s two-game losing streak, Chris Daniels adding to that with a double-double as well, with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks for the Aces. Other players who scored double digits include Chris Banchero, Simon Enciso, Carl Bryan Cruz, and JVee Casio who chipped 17, 10, 10, 10 and seven points respectively.

About finally getting back on track for this game, Alaska head coach Alex Compton reported, “That’s really how we want to play on the offensive side. On defense, there were stretches where we were much better, there were stretches where we gave them easy baskets.”

On the Road Warriors’ side, Tony Mitchell kept tabs on his opponents by totalling 34 points, while Poy Erram, Juami Tiongson, and Kenneth Ighalo added 16, 10, and 10 points individually. However, NLEX remained winless and proved to be struggling without their head coach Yeng Guiao’s presence, Guiao taking a three-game leave to recharge after a tedious Congress run in Pampanga, leaving the duties to assistant coach Jojo “Jolas” Lastimosa.

Prior to the match, Coach Jolas reported that Guiao “is on a cruise and it’s a treat from his family to get away from the game a little bit and all the things that happened to him the last few weeks in the election,” adding, “It’s a good idea for his family to get away and forget about basketball.”

Although Guiao will not return to his coaching duties until NLEX faces Magnolia on June 14, the Road Warriors will still try to work to finally get that win next Saturday, June 1 at the Mall of Asia Arena as they face Columbian Dyip. Alaska, on the other hand, will try not to fall back into that losing streak when they face the Hotshots on Wednesday, June 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.