The NLEX Road Warriors continued their winning ways on Saturday with a tougher-than-expected 95-85 win over the Terrafirma Dyip at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The win is NLEX’s seventh against two losses and is good enough to keep the Road Warriors in solo second in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup standings. The loss is Terrafirma’s seventh straight after starting out with three consecutive wins.
What Happened?
Sparked by Keith Zaldivar and a couple of early Geo Chiu buckets, Terrafirma raced out to a 23-18 lead in the opening frame. The Dyip continued their strong play in the second, with the Ahanmisi brothers—Jerrick and Maverick—starring on offense, and the defense clamping down on the usually prolific Road Warriors. After two, Terrafirma was ahead 47-36.
NLEX, though, got going in the third, with Robert Bolick erupting for 13 and Cady Lalanne adding 7 in a 34-point quarter. The Road Warriors also buckled down on defense, limiting Terrafirma to only 9 points to take a 70-56 lead to the final frame. One final push got the Dyip to within 89-85 with a little under two minutes left, but two freebies from Lalanne and a four-pointer from Bolick slammed the brakes on Terrafirma’s uprising.
Who Stood Out?
After a couple of rather quiet offensive games, Bolick finally found some rhythm on that end, firing 20 points, including 13 in that third. He added 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals in another fine all-around effort. Rookie Ljay Gonzales came off the bench to spark the Road Warriors, putting up 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Bahio added 16 of his own on top of 4 boards.
For Terrafirma, it was Maverick Ahanmisi who did much of the heavy lifting, scoring 22 points and making 13 of his 14 free throws. He also had 8 rebounds and 6 assists in his best game for the Dyip.
3 Keys to the Game
- Shooting. In a game where both teams struggled mightily from the field, NLEX shot just a little better overall at 39.3% compared to Terrafirma’s 36.7%. Crucially, the Road Warriors went 9-for-28 from deep, while the Dyip were just 5-for-22.
- Turnovers. Compounding matters for Terrafirma were the 17 turnovers it committed that led to 16 NLEX points. Worse, 10 of those errors came off steals, allowing the Road Warriors easy points on the other end. In contrast, Bolick and company had only 8 giveaways.
- Starters. Despite a combined 18 points from rookies JM Bravo and Chiu, Terrafirma’s starting five was outscored, 56-48, by NLEX’s starters. Part of the reason for this was the lack of production from Mubashar Ali and Jerrick Ahanmisi, who combined for just 24—or 22 points fewer than the 45 or so they’ve been averaging.
Next Up for the PBA
Sunday, April 26, 2026 | Smart Araneta Coliseum
Converge FiberXers vs. Phoenix Fuel Masters (5:15 p.m.)
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel vs. Titan Ultra Giant Risers (7:30 p.m.)
