MANILA, Philippines — NLEX got off to a hot start and managed to hold off Phoenix’s expectated second half rally to score a 120-102 win to grab solo second spot on Easter Sunday in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
Schonny Winston sparkled after leading NLEX’s strong first quarter effort that saw him score 11 of his 18 points to help his team get off to a 33-17 bubble.
The Road Warriors led by as many as 21 points with import Cady Lalanne finishing with 29 and 10 rebounds.
Robert Bolick also played a huge role as he responded with 22 points, five rebounds and 14 assists, while Kevin Alas scored 16 of his 18 in the last period.
NLEX moved up to 4-1, just half game behind unbeaten Rain or Shine’s 4-0 card.
Phoenix fell to 3-2.
Import James Dickey III, who struggled on offense to finish with just 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting, though he had 14 rebounds.
Ricci Rivero led Phoenix with 20.