ANTIPOLO — NLEX netted their third win in as many games after dealing Titan Ultra yet another depressing loss, 135-100, to grab the solo lead in Group A of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Tuesday at the Ynares Center here.
Not wanting a repeat of their near-collapse versus Terrafirma the last time out in Montalban, the Road Warriors played more consistently this time, building a big lead in the second chapter before breaking away for good in the fourth.
“The last game against Terrafirma, you have to give them credit … But I thought tonight we did a much better job of just staying consistent with our game plan both offensively and defensively,” said Coach Jimmy Alapag.
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The crew actually lost the third canto when they allowed the opposition to get as close as nine behind a 39-point production, but quickly restored order before the quarter ended, and then put it away not long after to keep their record intact.
Deschon Winston led NLEX with 30 points alongside nine rebounds and six assists, with Robert Bolick dropping 29 points and seven rebounds in easily his best game scoring-wise since the former MVP turned mentor took over.
It was the tandem who headed the fourth-quarter assault after their foes got to within 72-63, with Winston himself churning out 15 of his points in the frame.
Import DeQuan Jones finished with 22 points and six rebounds, while Kevin Alas tallied a 14-5-4 stat line to lead the bench mob in the victory, which saw the squad shoot 49.1-percent from the field and haul down 72 rebounds.
“It started with Berto and Schonny, and I thought our bench guys were big, too. We had a lot of impactful minutes from everyone,” Alapag lauded.
The Road Warriors won’t play in the next 12 days until they take on San Miguel Beer on Sunday, July 26, 5:15 p.m. at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“I think ‘yung next two weeks are gonna be very important for us just to continue to work, continue to build,” said the 48-year-old Alapag as he’s set to face two teams he shares some history with in their next three games.
“Kasi siyempre ‘yung games coming up, si San Miguel tapos I think Converge, and then Talk N Text. These next two weeks will be very important for us to continue to build off these first three games,” he added.
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Tirrell Brown, meanwhile, had 27 points and 10 rebounds in his debut as Titan Ultra finally fielded an import, but that wasn’t enough as they fell to 0-3.
The Scores:
NLEX 135 – Winston 30, Bolick 29, Jones 22, Alas 14, Herndon 7, Gonzales 6, Semerad 6, Valdez 4, Bahio 4, Capulong 4, Gamboa 4, Racal 3, Nieto 2, Ramirez 0, Rodger 0, Torres 0.
Terrafirma 100 – Brown 27, Sumang 18, Munzon 17, Omega 7, Dionisio 5, Javillonar 4, Yu 3, Pessumal 2, Amores 2, Ular 2, Ambohot 2, Caralipio 0, Inigo 0, Cuntapay 0.
Quarterscores: 30-24; 61-43; 97-82; 135-100.
