MANILA, Philippines — NLEX leaned on the clutch shooting of Javee Mocon in the final as the Road Warriors hacked out a 105-93 win against the Phoenix Fuel Masters to complete the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals cast on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum
Mocon, the former San Beda Red Lion star, banged in 13 of his 23 points in the last period, allowing NLEX to seal its seventh win in eight starts.
As the team of coach Jong Uichico closed in on a top 4 finish, Phoenix’s loss, its seventh in nine outings meant dropping out of the playoffs race.
NLEX’s victory also allowed TNT, Barangay Ginebra, Rain or Shine, Converge and Meralco safe passage to the quarterfinals since Phoenix could no longer reach five wins with two games to go in its elims round schedule.
While the quarterfinal cast is complete, the only thing left is the positioning for the playoffs.
Mocon led NLEX with 23 points and nine rebounds.
Ace guard Robert Bolick added another all-around effort of 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
JB Bahio chipped in 15 points on a 7-of-10 clip, while Anthony Semerad had 14 points.
