NLEX turned in a strong fourth quarter to send the free-falling Converge reeling to its third straight loss, 119-107, to remain perfect in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
DeQuan Jones finished with 28 points and nine rebounds, while Deschon Winston came through with 24. The two headed the solid windup that saved the Road Warriors from a massive collapse after losing a lead as big as 19.
Coach Jimmy Alapag’s men, in fact, roared to a 42-27 lead after the first quarter but fell flat in the ensuing frame. That let the FiberXers respond with 37 big points to close within one entering the break, making it a close affair.
(C) PBA Images
Fortunately for the crew, they had way better poise come the final period, courtesy of the aforementioned tandem. Jones powered a 12-0 run toward a 117-105 lead with 2:36 left — their reply to their foes’ rally that cut the gap to a field goal.
And that proved to be enough for NLEX to put it away, eventually chalking up its fifth win in as many games to maintain its hold of the Group A lead.
“I know Converge had a tough loss in their last game, and we expected them to come out and play really well, and they did,” said Alapag.
“But I thought Schonny really did take the game over together with Berto (Bolick) in the second half to get the win,” he added.
Robert Bolick fell just short of a triple-double as he finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists. Tony Semerad supplied 15 points, all of which he collected from beyond the arc as he went 5-of-6 from the three-point area.
Kevin Alas added 14 for NLEX, who will try to push its perfect run versus reigning champions TNT on Tuesday, August 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“Obviously, there is a lot of history there,” Alapag said as he next faces the franchise he helped build for the first time as a head coach. “A lot of great memories there. And some of the guys who I played with are still there.
“But again, we have a job to do for NLEX, and we’ll get back to work tomorrow and shift our focus to get ready for Tuesday,” added the 48-year-old.
(C) PBA Images
Jamaal Franklin had 26 points, seven rebounds, and six assists to lead Converge, which fell to 3-3 following another tough defeat.
Mikey Williams scored 18 points. Justin Arana had 16 points, while Juan Gomez de Liano, Justine Baltazar, and Alec Stockton added at least 11 each.
The Scores:
NLEX 119 – Jones 28, Winston 24, Bolick 19, Semerad 15; Alas 14, Bahio 8, Gonzales 7, Valdez 4, Gamboa 0, Capulong 0, Rodger 0.
Converge 107 – Franklin 26, Williams 18, Arana 16, Gomez de Liano 14, Baltazar 13, Stockton 11, Abueva 9, Garcia 0.
Quarterscores: 42-27, 63-64, 88-88, 119-107.
