Robert Bolick and Javee Mocon saved NLEX from losing its wheels against the gritty Converge, 88-83, to gain a share of the pole position in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, Friday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The star guard led the way with 19 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists while the do-it-all wing added 10 and also seven boards as the San Beda duo came through at the homestretch to prevent a 16-point collapse.
The FiberXers got to within three twice during the final frame, the last of which ca,e at 81-78 with 4:06 to go. But the newly-extended Mocon hit a baseline jumper to stretch the lead back to five — thus setting up the solid finish courtesy of their main man.
(C) PBA Images
Bolick first made a booming trey off a pullup, then swished a tough one-foot fadeaway jumper to push their lead to 88-80 with exactly two minutes left.
The breaks even went in their favor afterwards, with Deschon Winston’s one-handed jam overruled as he was called for a charge with 1:01 to spare.
The Road Warriors then forced Alec Stockton to a TO and went on to collect their sixth straight win, improving to 6-1 and joining Magnolia atop the standings.
“Alam naman namin na malakas ang Converge eh. They’ve been playing so well. So we had to find the extras,” said head coach Jong Uichico. “Saan namin hahanapin ‘yung extras kasi malakas sila umiskor, malakas sila dumepensa.
“So, we just had to find that extra. And the players just did their job in finding that extra,” added the champion bench tactician, whose side has virtually secured a spot in the quarterfinals by getting their sixth win.
Xyrus Torres finished with 18 points for NLEX, including 12 in the first half. Tony Semerad and JB Bahio both put in solid showings — Semerad chipped in 10 points, spiked by a pair of threes. Meanwhile, Bahio fell just short of a double-double as he tallied nine points and nine rebounds.
“Masaya talaga ako sa teammates ko. Grabe. Xyrus, Tony, Brandon, Bahio. Ibang klase ‘yung pinakita ng mga bata,” said Bolick. “Rookie pero binibigyan namin sila ng kumpiyansa; binibigyan sila ng kumpiyansa ni Coach.”
The Road Warriors will look to make seven successive wins against reigning conference champions Meralco this Sunday, May 25, at the same venue.
(C) PBA Images
Justine Baltazar, on the other hand, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Converge, which absorbed its second loss in three games and fell to 5-4.
Alec Stockton had 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Winston made 16 points while Justin Arana added 12 and 12 in the fightback that fell short.
Now down to two assignments in the eliminations, the FiberXers will look to win both. The first comes against Terrafirma on May 28 at Philsports, still, before closing out the round against San Miguel on June 11 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
And both of those games will be crucial in their bid to reach the quarters.
The Scores:
NLEX 88 – Bolick 19, Torres 18, Semerad 10, Mocon 10, Bahio 9, Ramirez 8, Fajardo 6, Alas 5, Herndon 3, Nieto 0
Converge 83 – Baltazar 21, Stockton 17, Winston 16, Arana 12, Garcia 9, Delos Santos 3, Suerte 3, Corpuz 2, Racal 0, Nermal 0, Caralipio 0, R. Santos 0, B.Santos 0
Quarterscores: 31-23, 52-42, 76-60, 88-83.
