MANILA, Philippines — NLEX survived Terrafirma’s furious rally to eke out a 101-100 win to stay unscathed in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Montalban.
The Road Warriors led by as many as 23 points in the opening half, but the Dyip mounted a massive rally behind a 33-point, fourth quarter effort.
Terrafirma closed in within one point, and had a golden opportunity to secure the victory when NLEX guard Robert Bolick missed his four-point attempt.
However, Terrafirma import Justin Strings failed to connect on his own game-winning three-point attempt, allowing NLEX to escape with its second straight win under new coach Jimmy Alapag.
Import DeQuan Jones delivered 25 of his game-high 30 points in the first half and added seven rebounds and four assists.
“Credit to Terrafirma, they did a good job in making their adjustments in the zone to slow down our pace,” Jones said.
“Credit to them and their coaching staff. We have to do a better job executing late down the stretch and not get comfortable with the lead to stay aggressive.” Maverick Ahanmisi and Juami Tiongson led Terrafirma with 19 points each, while Strings had 17 and 13 rebounds.
