D-League: NLEX forces rubbermatch

The NLEX Road Warriors, on the other hand, also squandered a 24-point lead in the third quarter but kept their poise in the stretch to hold off the Big Chill Super Chargers, 69-62, and force a sudden death in their own semifinal series.

NLEX enjoyed a 51-27 lead with 5:21 left in the third but slackened up on the defensive end, allowing the Super Chargers to bounce back.

“Perhaps the players thought we had the game won when we’re up by a big margin,” said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez.

NLEX and Big Chill dispute the other finals slot on Tuesday at 2 p.m., also at the Ynares Sports Arena.