THE NLEX Road Warriors barged into the semifinals as they leaned on the endgame brilliance of Ian Sangalang to beat the Cagayan Rising Suns, 84-75, in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup yesterday at the JSCGO gym in Quezon City.
Sangalang had 18 points including eight in the fourth period that anchored a 19-3 run which put the Suns away for good.
Sanggalang, the NCAA MVP, scored eight straight points in the fourth quarter as the defending champions opened the period with 19-3 run that practically put away the Rising Suns after three tough quarters.
Kirk Long tallied 10 points and Jake Pascual had 10 rebounds for the Road Warriors, who won their seventh consecutive game while stretching their winning streak to 24 games dating back to the semifinals of this tournament last Jan. 30.
Earlier, Allan Mangahas accounted for 11 of his team’s 22 assists and cornered a crucial rebound in the closing seconds as Blackwater Sports rolled to its fourth consecutive win, 67-64, past winless Informatics. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio