PBA: NLEX torches Converge late to clinch twice-to-beat bonus

NLEX turned a close contest into a runaway, unloading a wild fourth quarter to rout Converge, 100–81, and lock up a twice-to-beat bonus in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Saturday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Robert Bolick, who keyed their 92-90 escape against Rain or Shine last Wednesday, set the tone early while Schonny Winston provided second-half hustle against his old team as the Road Warriors seized solo top spot with a 9-2 card.

Bolick and Winston both finished with 21 points and five assists while import Cady Lalanne put together a double-double effort of 22 markers and 14 rebounds laced with four assists and two blocks.

The loss further dimmed the FiberXers' playoff hopes as they dropped to 4-7.

"Nag-struggle kami sa first half, I think both teams were not scoring well so sabi ko nakaka-good shot naman kami so tuloy-tuloy lang kung libre," NLEX head coach Jong Uichico said.

"Mabuti naman nu'ng huli nagpapapasok na 'yung mga tira."

Uichico was referring to the sluggish offensive showing from both sides in the first half, with NLEX shooting just 13-of-41 from the field despite Bolick’s 14-point effort in the opening frame. Converge fared similarly, converting only 15 of their 40 attempts through the first two quarters.

Converge held a slim 36-34 lead at the half.

However, both teams found their rhythm in the second half, with Converge surging to a 45–40 lead before NLEX responded with a 22–9 run to close the third quarter and take a 62–54 advantage.

The NLEX Road Warriors then caught fire from beyond the arc in the final period, with Lalanne draining a triple to extend the lead to 66–54. Xyrus Torres and Anthony Semerad followed suit, knocking down back-to-back threes to blow the game open at 76–58.

Converge hit a major snag late after import Donovan Smith fouled out with 7:16 remaining, forcing them to play with an all-Filipino lineup the rest of the way.

The Road Warriors quickly capitalized on the situation with Semerad knocking down two more triples to widen the gap to 96–75, putting the game out of reach as they captured their third win in a row. 

NLEX will look to lock up the top spot when it takes on also-ran Titan Ultra (2-8) on Tuesday. 

Scores:

NLEX 100 – Lalanne 22, Winston 21, Bolick 21, Semerad 11, Torres 8, Gonzales 4, Racal 4, Rodger 3, Bahio 2, Gamboa 2, Nieto 2, Ramirez 0.

Converge 81 – Arana 21, Concepcion 10, Gomez de Liano 9, Baltazar 9, Abueva 8, Stockton 6, Smith 6, Policarpio 6, Williams 4, Muyang 2, Garcia 0.

Quarters: 23-11, 34-36, 62-54, 100-81.

—JKC, GMA News