STILL SANS BOLICK, NLEX SHOOTS FOR EARLY LEADERSHIP VS TERRAFIRMA

NLEX looks to secure the early lead in the team standings of the PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup when it tackles Terrafirma on Sunday at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.

Meanwhile, San Miguel and Phoenix will try to recover from losses in their respective first games when they cross paths in the main event.

NLEX VS. TERRAFIRMA

When: Sunday, October 12. 5:15 p.m.

Where: Ynares Center-Antipolo

NLEX hunts for solo first

NLEX looks to gain grip on solo first in its battle against Terrafirma. The Road Warriors started their Philippine Cup by shocking reigning champion San Miguel, 85-84.

With Titan Ultra tasting a 129-92 loss to Converge on Saturday, NLEX will look to own the top spot in the standings.

Robert Bolick likely out again

NLEX will miss Robert Bolick again, as he continues to mourn the passing of his father. Bolick was out during the Road Warriors’ tussle vs. San Miguel, but other players stepped up to pull off the win. NLEX coach Jong Uichico said they are giving Bolick leeway to spend time with his family during this tough time.

NLEX quintet steps up in Bolick’s absence

Jonnel Policarpio, Brandon Ramirez, Kevin Alas, and JB Bahio stepped up for NLEX in the win over San Miguel.

NLEX's Jonnel Policarpio PHOTO: Mark Cristino

The four combined for 57 points, and scored all the 19 markers in the fourth quarter to close the game against the Beermen. Expect the four to once again be at the forefront against Terrafirma.

Terrafirma is Jerrick Ahanmisi’s team

Terrafirma opened the conference on the wrong note, as it was defeated by Blackwater, 107-87. The Dyip, if that game was any indication, is going to be Jerrick Ahanmisi’s team.

In his first game since being acquired from Magnolia in a trade for Javi Gomez de Liaño, Ahanmisi finished with 25 points, while shooting 6-of-9 from threes, albeit in a losing effort.

SAN MIGUEL VS. PHOENIX

When: Sunday, October 12. 7:30 p.m.

Where: Ynares Center-Antipolo

San Miguel, Phoenix eye bounce back win

San Miguel and Phoenix were defeated in their first games of the conference, and they will look to rebound from those losses. The Beermen lost to NLEX, 85-84, last Wednesday, while the Fuel Masters were upended by TNT, 93-78, last Friday.

Defending champs next on the schedule

Phoenix ends a tough schedule to open the conference when it faces the reigning champions next. The Fuel Masters went up against last season’s runner-up TNT and were actually competitive in the game when they only trailed 45-42 at the half only to tumble in the second half. It is going to be another gargantuan task to overcome the defending titlists.

New Phoenix bigs to be tested vs JMF

Phoenix’s brand new frontline will be tested when they face June Mar Fajardo down low.

San Miguel's June Mar Fajardo

Among the new players, it was Prince Caperal who flourished when he hauled six rebounds in 12 minutes and 23 seconds of play against TNT. Mainstay Jason Perkins grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while newly-acquired Yousef Taha grabbed four boards.

2025-10-12T06:15:11Z