MANILA, Philippines: Terrafirma chalked up its second straight win after nipping NLEX, 99-95 in their PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Veteran gunner Juami Tiongson knocked down a team-best 21 points, while this season’s top rookie pick Stephen Holt added 17, seven rebounds, four assists and the same number of steals as the Dyip got off to a rare 2-0 start.
As per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon, Terrafirma registered its first 2-0 start for the first time since the franchise, then known as Mahindra got off to a 4-0 record in the 2016 Governors’ Cup.
The team then had head coach Chris Gavina with James White as the team’s import.
Back up guard JP Calvo added 16, including the two foul shots in the final 22 seconds to secure the win.
“We have two wins now, but I told them that every game we need to win. We just can’t think about getting two wins,” shared Terrafirma coach Johnedel Cardel.
Javi Gomez de Liano banged in 18 points for Terrafirma.
High-scoring guard Robert Bolick led NLEX with 29 points, along with five rebounds and eight assists.
Rookie Jhan Nermal added 15, being the only other player to score double figures for the Road Warriors (1-1).