PBA: NLEX improves to 5-0, hands Converge third straight loss

NLEX remained unbeaten in the PBA Governors’ Cup after pulling away late to beat Converge, 119-107, on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena for its fifth straight victory.

After the game was tied at 88 at the end of the third quarter, the Road Warriors broke it open with a decisive 14-3 run to build a 102-91 lead with 7:13 remaining. NLEX dominated the final period, outscoring Converge 31-19 to seal the win.

The Road Warriors actually came out firing, racing to a 42-27 advantage after the opening quarter. However, the FiberXers clawed their way back and trimmed the deficit to just one, 64-63, by halftime before eventually drawing level entering the fourth.

"I think in the second quarter, we went away from what made us successful in the first quarter. I think their physicality went up a notch in that second quarter, it slowed us defensively... and that's not how we want to play," NLEX head coach Jimmy Alapag said.

"We have a lot of talent in our team and that's something we want to be consistent with in terms of our selflessness when we play. That was my challenge to the guys in the second half," he added.

DeQuan Jones paced NLEX with 28 points, nine rebounds, and one block, while Schonny Winston led the local contingent with 24 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Robert Bolick narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds to go along with one steal. Anthony Semerad and Kevin Alas chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Jamaal Franklin led Converge with 26 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Mikey Williams contributed 18 points, two rebounds, and two assists, while Justin Arana added 16 points and Juan Gomez de Liaño scored 14.

The victory improved NLEX to a league-best 5-0, while Converge dropped to 3-3 after suffering its third consecutive defeat following a 3-0 start.

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.

Quarters: 42-27, 63-64, 88-88, 119-107.

—JKC, GMA News