Hardened by past heartbreaks, the present-day NLEX finally closed out a series by finishing off Phoenix Super LPG, 137-89, to sweep its way into the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup semifinals, Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Playing like men on a mission, the Road Warriors pulled away as early as the opening chapter, firing 15 straight points from a 15-16 deficit before finishing the quarter with a 43-21 advantage to take command all the way to the end.
Eventually, Coach Jimmy Alapag and his men would complete the three-game shutout of the Fuel Masters, in the process bringing the MVP franchise to its first ‘Final Four’ appearance since the 2022 edition of the same conference.
Robert Bolick bannered the closeout 23 points, four rebounds, and five assists as the BPC frontrunner clearly wanted to shed the ‘Introvoys’ tag not just for himself but for the entire NLEX after first-round exits in previous campaigns.
The star guard already had 20 in the first half, including 17 in just the first quarter as he sparked their fiery 28-5 rally to end the period up by 22.
