Warriors pick one on the road

Game today (Angeles City)

5 p.m. – GlobalPort vs Magnolia

MANILA, Philippines — Arnett Moultrie flirted with a triple-double, while Larry Fonacier and Alex Mallari hit clutch treys in overtime as NLEX finally broke into the win column in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup with a 120-115 decision over Phoenix Fuel at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan, Laguna last night.

Moultrie exploded with  37 points, 17 rebounds and had eight assists, while Fonacier and Mallari combined for six three-pointers, including two each on extension play, saving the day for the Road Warriors after blowing away a huge 19-point lead in the second quarter.

The Road Warriors squandered a 10-point margin, 101-91, in the last two minutes of regulation but recovered in overtime, riding high on the three-point flurries of Fonacier and Mallari to ward off the Fuel Masters for their first win in four starts in the mid-season tourney.

Moultrie made one basket and crucial stops in overtime to cap a game-long brilliance and led NLEX past Phoenix Fuel, which went down with a second loss against the same number of wins.

Meanwhile, GlobalPort seeks a third straight win while Magnolia looks to bounce back from a losing conference debut as they clash in a Petron Blaze Saturday Special at the AUF Gym in Angeles, Pampanga tonight.

The Road Warriors, losing semifinalists versus the Magnolia Hotshots in the recent Philippine Cup, notched their  first win in the second conference after successive losses to Columbian Dyip, Rain or Shine and Meralco.

Greg Slaughter finally made a comeback and helped Barangay Ginebra to a strong start en route to a 105-91 spanking of Blackwater in the nightcap.

Slaughter went 5-of-6 from the field for 10 points in the first half and finished with 12 markers, six rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes of action as the Kings chalked up a first win in three games.

The scores:

First Game

NLEX 120 – Moultrie 37, Quiñahan 16, Mallari 13, Fonacier 11, Ravena 9, Miranda 8, Baguio 7, Soyud 7, Tiongson 5, Rios 4, Monfort 3, Ighalo 0.

Phoenix 115 – Wright 31, White 18, Chan 17, Perkins 15, Revilla 9, Mendoza 8, Jazul 8, Kramer 4, Eriobu 2, Chua 2, Alolino 0, Wilson 0, Intal 0.

Quarterscores: 28-25, 57-43, 78-72, 104-104, 120-115 (OT)

Second Game

Ginebra 105 – Ferrer 21, Garcia 18, Aguilar 13, Slaughter 12, Thompson 11, Tenorio 10, Caguioa 8, Mercado 8, Devance 2, Aguilar R. 2, Manuel 0, Taha 0, Caperal 0, Mariano 0.

Blackwater 91 – Famous 25, Sumang 18, Zamar 15, Maliksi 10, Erram 8, Digregorio 7, Belo 4, Marcelo 2, Palma 2, Cruz 0, Sena 0, Pinto 0, Jose 0.

Quarterscores: 32-27, 64-41, 87-63, 105-91