The gatecrashers of the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup playoffs will be partying for at least two more games as the NLEX Road Warriors evened their best-of-seven series against Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok with a 91-79 win in Game 4 on Friday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Rookie Kiefer Ravena paced NLEX with 20 points off the bench, to go along with three rebounds and five assists. JR Quinahan added 14 points and four boards, while Kevin Alas tallied 13 points, six rebounds and four dimes.
After a close first half, NLEX unleashed a 14-0 run to start the third period to go up 55-39. Magnolia played catch-up the rest of the way, but was able to trim the deficit to eight late in the quarter. The Road Warriors, however, kept on pushing as they extended the lead back up to 16 points in the final quarter en route to the victory.
More than their offense, it was their effort on the other side that really helped the Road Warriors get the win. After losing the last two games of the series, the team made a commitment to defend better in Game 4, especially against two key figures of the Magnolia squad.
"We made adjustments that we needed to focus on the guys who were really giving us a hard time in Paul Lee and Ian Sangalang," said Ravena during the post-game interview.
Both players were still able to score in double digits as Sangalang had 15 points along with 14 rebounds while Lee added 11 markers but the two struggled from the field, only shooting a combined 8-of-26. As a team, the Hotshots, did not fare much better than their two stars as they only converted on 36% of their 76 attempts in the contest.
"From the start of the season, coach Yeng (Guiao) told us that these are the kinds of games where we really get better. You play every other day and you help each other figure things out," Ravena added. "We'll put in the work in practice tomorrow and we'll be ready for Game 5 on Sunday."
After missing Game 3 due to a sprained ankle, Raul Soyud returned to duty for NLEX and immediately contributed to their cause. With Mike Miranda not scoring in the game and Rabeh Al-Hussaini only converting on a single basket, Soyud stepped up to score nine points off the bench while also adding five rebounds.
"Even with (Marc) Pingris not playing, we're still the underdogs," said Guiao in the post-game interview. "The experience you gain in playing as many semifinals as they've had is very valuable. For us, it's a big thing that we get to know our opponent better in this series. Back then we didn't know how to beat Magnolia, but now we've beaten them twice when it really matters."
"But to me, what's even more important is that we're knowing ourselves better. We figured out that we can do it, that we belong here if we work hard and play better on defense. Getting to tie the series at 2-2, it's already a morale-booster for us. If we reach a Game 6 or 7, we'll be happy with that already," he added.
THE SCORES
NLEX 91 - Ravena 20, Quiñahan 14, Alas 13, Fonacier 10, Baguio 9, Soyud 9, Tiongson 5, Rios 5, Mallari 4, Al-Hussaini 2, Taulava 0, Miranda 0.
MAGNOLIA 79 - Sangalang 15, Lee 11, Barroca, Jalalon 10, Ramos 9, Dela Rosa 9, Simon 6, Reavis 4, Gamalinda 2, Pascual 2, Mendoza 0, Melton 0, Brondial 0, Herndon 0.
Quarters: 25-20, 41-39, 69-59, 91-79.
EXTRA DRIBBLES
The Road Warriors knew the odds wouldn't be in their favor had they lost Game 4 as only four teams in history have ever come back from a 3-1 series deficit.
For the first time in the series, the team with more bench points won the game. The Road Warriors' bench clobbered their Magnolia counterparts 68-30.
Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero has now used the same starting lineup for the past three games with Paul Lee, Ian Sangalang, Rome Dela Rosa, Rafi Reavis and Jio Jalalon after mixing up his starters ala-Guiao all conference long.
NEXT GAME
Game 5 on Sunday, March 18 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo
ESPN5's JC Ansis contributed to this report.