After 25 games, Terrafirma finally got tired of losing as the Dyip were able to overcome the bumps on the road Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
But victory didn’t come on a silver platter as Terrafirma needed an extra five minutes to score a 124-114 victory over NLEX in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.
It was the Dyip’s first triumph after three conferences as it dropped all their 11 outings in the Philippine Cup.
Lester Prosper knocked in a career-high 50 points, the most produced by any Terrafirma player in franchise history.
Although the Dyip had already been booted out of the race, they put an end to the second all-time longest losing streak in PBA history.
“We had a good practice for the past week,” said Prosper, a naturalized player of the Indonesia men’s basketball team, who is on his third tour of duty as PBA import.
“It feels good. Ayos (Great),” Prosper told the Daily Tribune in an exclusive interview inside the team’s dressing room.
Prosper and Terrafirma will attempt to keep their winning ways when they play their last two games on Wednesday and next week.
First, the Dyip will face San Miguel before Phoenix Super LPG gets its turn on 26 November.
After getting a taste of victory, Prosper feels good about what’s down the road.
“I feel that the chemistry is coming together. This is good. We’re coming together now and I’m glad we’ve stopped this (losing skid) and I’m happy I contributed to stop this,” Prosper added.
For NLEX, its own losing streak stretched to five games, putting the team on the brink of elimination.
Kevin Alas, the star point guard, was added to the growing list of casualties with a sprained ankle, joining Anthony Semerad and JR Quinahan, who are still recovering after undergoing separate operations on their injuries.
The Scores:
TERRAFIRMA (124) — Prosper 50, Tiongson 18, Camson 15, Alolino 10, Cabagnot 8, Ramos 7, Munzon 5, Cahilig 4, Gomez de Liano 3, Javelona 0.
NLEX (114) — Clark 45, Trollano 26, Ganuelas-Rosser 22, Rosales 12, Nieto 9, Paniamogan 0, Celda 0, Miranda 0, Chua 0, Varilla 0.
QUARTERS: 40-30, 68-54, 93-85, 110-110, 124-114.
