MANILA — NLEX Road Warriors withstood a dramatic fourth-quarter collapse and escaped with a 101-100 victory over the Terrafirma Dyip to remain unbeaten with a 2-0 record in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Montalban, Rizal.
The Road Warriors squandered a commanding 23-point lead but held their ground in the closing seconds after Terrafirma’s Justin Strings missed a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
NLEX appeared headed for an easy victory after Anthony Semerad completed a three-point play that gave the Road Warriors a 90-67 cushion at the end of the third quarter.
The Dyip refused to fold, however, launching a spirited comeback behind Strings, Maverick Ahanmisi and Conrad Catapusan to trim the deficit to 97-91.
Robert Bolick Jr. briefly restored breathing room for NLEX with a four-point shot, but Terrafirma answered with baskets from Ahanmisi and Juan Miguel Tiongson to pull within 101-100 in the dying moments.
The Road Warriors failed to capitalize on opportunities to seal the game after Bolick and Xyrus Torres missed from long range, allowing the Dyip one final possession. Strings’ desperation triple at the horn, however, failed to find the mark.
Import DeQuan Jones powered NLEX with 30 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals to earn Player of the Game honors as the Road Warriors strengthened their hold in Group A. Terrafirma dropped to 1-1.
In the day’s other game, Converge FiberXers made an emphatic start to their campaign by crushing the Titan Ultra Giant Risers, 105-74.
Justin Arana earned Player of the Game honors after finishing with 15 points and four rebounds as the FiberXers opened the tournament with a convincing 1-0 record.
Converge seized control from the opening quarter by limiting the Giant Risers to just nine points for a 19-9 advantage before stretching the lead to 50-26 at halftime.
The FiberXers never looked back, widening the gap to 78-49 after three quarters before completing the 31-point rout./PN
