By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Terrafirma Dyip continued to exceed expectations after dealing the NLEX Road Warriors a stunning loss, 99-95, in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup on March 3, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
With the win, Terrafirma improved to 2-0, one of its best starts in the history of their franchise since entering the PBA.
It wasn’t an easy assignment for the Dyip as NLEX cruised to a 57-47 lead after the first two quarters led by the scorching hot Robert Bolick who went unconscious from the shooting field.
Just when the Road Warrior thought they could continue with their fiery start, the Dyip had other plans and executed their strategy to perfection, helping them overcome a double-digit deficit in the first six minutes of the third quarter.
From trailing by 10 points, Terrafirma suddenly flipped the switch and was in the driver’s seat, using a 14-4 scoring surge to officially get back into the ball game.
After that insane run, Terrafirma went close and engaged the Road Warriors into a mano-a-mano showdown until the pivotal fourth quarter.
However, it was Terrafirma who turned on the jets in the closing minutes, extending its advantage to 97-93 after Isaac Go converted a pair of free throws with only a minute left.
Dave Marcelo gave the Road Warriors a chance to breathe after answering with a layup on the other end but Bolick’s turnover closed the doors on NLEX that led to them fouling JP Calvo who calmly sank the two most important charity stripe shots of the game.
Veteran scoring machine Juami Tiongson maintained his offensive consistency for Terrafirma and top-scored his squad with 21 big points built from a 9/10 shooting from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, Javi Gomez de Liaño let his presence felt for the Dyip and backstopped Tiongson with 18 markers derived from 2/4 shooting from the three-point territory.
After a convincing 2-0 start, Terrafirma will look to gun for its third straight win on March 9, 2024, as they take on the tough TNT Tropang Giga team.
