NLEX passed its first major test on Sunday with flying colors, overwhelming San Miguel, 110-96, to remain unbeaten under new coach Jimmy Alapag in the PBA 50th Season Governors’ Cup.
The Road Warriors outscored the Beermen, 34-25, in the second quarter and led by as many as 25 at one point in the third to secure their fourth successive win in Group A while dealing the Beermen their first loss in three games.
San Miguel head coach Leo Austria made an appearance in a game for the first time this conference but sat at the back of the bench with lead deputy Peter Martin still in charge just like in the Beermen's three previous games.
From his seat behind the SMB bench, Austria saw the Beermen fight back to within eight points in the fourth quarter but lose steam in the end.
DeQuan Jones came away with 27 points while Schonny Winston scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half to spark NLEX's fiery start.
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NLEX turned a 30-27 lead into a 50-29 advantage with Winston scoring seven in that stretch. Winston eventually finished with 12 in that quarter to give NLEX a 64-46 lead that was only trimmed by a George King four from halfcourt.
A series of outside shots from Don Trollano including a three chopped the deficit to 92-84 but Robert Bolick responded in a huge way with a four to stop the run.
“Really proud of our guys. I think anytime you play a team like San Miguel, with all of their championship experience, it’s always a great test for a young team,” Alapag said.
“I thought we were very resilient especially in the second half. Trollano is one of the best shooters in the league, he got going. But I thought our poise in the second half was great for the young team that we have,” Alapag added.
Bolick had a near triple double-double of 14 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists for the Road Warriors, while Robbie Herndon had 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from threes.
King had 31 points and eight rebounds, while Trollano had 16 points. Sorely missed was Cjay Perez, who suffered a pulled groin and only had six points in 11 minutes of action.
The scores:
NLEX 110 – Jones 27, Winston 24, Semerad 15, Bolick 14, Herndon 13, Valdez 8, Gonzales 7, Bahio 2, Capulong 0, Marcelo 0, Racal 0, Alas 0.
San Miguel 96 – King 31, Trollano 16, Fajardo 15, Perez 7, Hernandez 6, Brondial 6, Tautuaa 5, Lassiter 5, Cruz 3, Ahanmisi 2, Ross 0, Cahilig 0.
Quarters: 30-21; 64-46; 90-71; 110-96.
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