THE BORACAY RUM Waves kept their flickering hope for a playoff berth alive after they beat the Informatics Icons, 74-66, in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup yesterday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The Waves got 18 points from Jeff Viernes while Roider Cabrera added 16 off four three pointers that proved to be the difference maker in getting them their second win in a row after starting the season with five straight losses.
In the main game, the reigning champions NLEX Road Warriors bounced right back after getting their 24-game winning streak snapped as they eked past the Blackwater Elite, 70-68.
Known for their offense because of the presence of several of the top amateur stars in the country today, the Road Warriors broke the trend and instead went to their defense as they held the Elite to just eight points in the final canto to grab their eighth win in nine games.
Ronald Pascual scored 12 points and RR Garcia added 11 but it was their defensive effort that won the game for NLEX. Baser Amer, a reserve guard from San Beda, opened the fourth with a 3-point play as the defending champions took the lead for good.
Karim Abdul and Ferrer each scored 13 points for Blackwater Sports./Correspondent Jonas Panerio