Composure spelled the difference down the stretch as NLEX averted disaster and overcame Phoenix, 100-95, for back-to-back wins in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup, Sunday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Myke Henry, Tony Semerad, and Robbie Herndon came through in the clutch after the Road Warriors blew up a 23-point second-quarter lead and trailed by four, 93-89, no thanks to an RR Garcia-led rally with 2:42 to go in the game.
Henry nailed five straight points to put themselves back ahead, Semerad then nailed a tough bucket off a baseline drive, before Herndon struck the dagger through a corner triple with 19.5 ticks left to complete the escape.
That poise ultimately enabled NLEX to go 2-0 and gain a share of the Group B lead with Rain or Shine, which, interestingly, is its next foe on August 28.
“It was a grind. Super grind,” exhaled head coach Jong Uichico upon arriving for the postgame presser. “We were able to overcome that type of adversity.
“If there is anything good that happened in this game, it’s overcoming that adversity and not giving up,” the champion bench tactician added, “and still maintaining our discipline and composure in the last minutes of the game.”
Henry finished with 37 points and nine rebounds, together with five assists, four steals, and a block for a full stat line to lead the Road Warriors.
Henry himself took the spotlight in the first half, as he already had 21 markers to lead themselves to a commanding 53-30 lead entering the half.
But then, Phoenix started to chip away in the third, and that seemingly warmed the team up for the storm they would unleash in the fourth behind Garcia.
An 11-0 run put the Fuel Masters up, 87-84, and appeared to have the game on lock when they held a 93-89 lead behind a four-pointer by their veteran.
Henry and the rest of the squad, though, prevented a collapse. Aside from key buckets, defense proved key as well, with NLEX forcing their counterparts to a turnover where Garcia and Jayveous McKinnis miscommunicated on a set.
Semerad made them pay with his conversion, and they would lean on D again afterwards by stopping Jason Perkins inside with under a minute left.
Herndon then pulled off the tough blow with his outside shot. It didn’t help Phoenix’s cause, too, that JJ Alejandro missed two four-pointers, one of which could have tied the game up as they were staring at a 99-95 deficit.
“That’s why they brought me here, to carry the offense when we needed it and we needed it today. But I got to credit the players and the coaching staff for trusting me to make the right play,” said Henry.
Semerad finished with 13 points, while Dominick Fajardo added 10 before fouling out early in the fourth as the others stepped up for Robert Bolick.
Bolick wasn’t able to replicate his 24-9-11 line in their rout of Blackwater, but still managed to produce 11 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
Garcia, meanwhile, had 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field to lead Phoenix, who absorbed its second loss in as many outings.
McKinnis had 15 and 14. Jason Perkins made 13 points, four rebounds, and five assists while Javee Mocon and Tyler Tio added 12 and 10, respectively.
The Scores:
NLEX 100 – Henry 37, Semerad 13, Bolick 11, Fajardo 10, Herndon 9, Rodger 8, Amer 6, Marcelo 2, Valdez 2, Policarpio 2.
Phoenix 95 – Garcia 18, McKinnis 15, Perkins 13, Mocon 12, Tio 10, Ballungay 8, Alejandro 5, Verano 5, Tuffin 3, Jazul 2, Muyang 2, Daves 2, Salado 0, Rivero 0.
Quarterscores: 25-16, 53-30, 76-67, 100-95.
