NLEX stays unbeaten, rolls past Titan Ultra for third straight victory

NLEX strengthened its hold on the top spot in Group A after overwhelming Titan Ultra, 135-100, in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors' Cup on Tuesday at the Ynares Center in Montalban.

The Road Warriors improved to 3-0, pulling away decisively in the fourth quarter after Titan Ultra mounted a brief challenge late in the third. Having nearly squandered a big lead against Terrafirma in their previous outing, NLEX made sure there would be no repeat as it quickly answered every rally by the Giant Risers.

Deschon Winston powered the Road Warriors with 30 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, scoring 15 of his total in the final period to fuel the game-clinching run. Robert Bolick also delivered his best offensive outing under new head coach Jimmy Alapag, finishing with 29 points and seven rebounds.

Returning import DeQuan Jones added 22 points and six rebounds, while Kevin Alas provided a spark off the bench with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists. NLEX converted 49.1 percent of its field-goal attempts and dominated the rebounding battle, 72-51.

After the game, Alapag commended his team's balanced performance, pointing to the strong contributions from both the starting backcourt and the reserves.

Titan Ultra, which finally debuted import Tirrell Brown this conference, remained winless at 0-3 despite Brown posting 27 points and 10 rebounds in his first appearance.

The Road Warriors will enjoy a 12-day break before returning to action on July 26 against San Miguel Beer at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Alapag said the extended layoff will give the team valuable time to prepare for a demanding stretch that also includes games against Converge and TNT.