By REYNALD MAGALLON
Jimmy Alapag got the better of his former mentor Chot Reyes as NLEX held off TNT, 88-83, to come out of its first round assignments unscathed in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
The Road Warriors unloaded a pivotal 11-4 run in the final frame to create a much-needed 85-78 separation after a tied 74-all count and then came through with the big defensive stop to not only preserve the win but also keep their record pristine.
NLEX swept the first round of eliminations with a 6-0 record to solidify its spot atop the Group A standings.
DeQuan Jones led the charge for the Road Warriors with 27 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal while LJ Gonzales chipped in 11. Robert Bolick added 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Coaching against the same team where he played most of his 13-year PBA career, Alapag snapped TNT’s two-game win streak where it defeated Converge and San Miguel despite playing shorthanded.
The Tropang 5G still played without Calvin Oftana, Jayson Castro, Jordan Heading and RR Pogoy but managed to keep in step with the Road Warriors.
Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson paced TNT with 22 points while Rey Nambatac, Glenn Khobuntin and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser all chipped in 13 in a losing effort.
Meanwhile, Titan Ultra unloaded a franchise-best first half scoring and did just enough to keep Macau at bay to hack out a 138-122 win.
The Giant Risers came out like a house on fire and scored 80 points through the first two quarters but had to lean on import Tirell Brown II who fired 16 of his 36 points in the final frame to quell a late fightback from the Giant Pandas.
Brown had 10 rebounds and seven assists to help Titan Ultra get back on the winning track and catch its victims with similar 2-5 records.
Joshua Munzon finished with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists while Roi Sumang and Bryan Sajonia added 14 and 13, respectively.
The Giant Risers led by as many as 29 in the contest but the Giant Pandas refused to go down without a fight and cut the deficit to single digits in the final frame. Good thing, Brown was providing answers to keep Titan Ultra’s head above the water.
Devondre Perry paced Macau with 45 points and 14 rebounds while Ramon Cao had 24. Damian Chongqui and Jeffrey Ma had 18 apiece in a losing effort.
