Road Warriors Clinch Twice-to-Beat Edge, Dash FiberXers’ Quarterfinal Hopes

NLEX secured a twice-to-beat advantage for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals while extinguishing Converge’s postseason hopes, cruising to a 100–81 win on Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Road Warriors seized control late in the third quarter and fully pulled away in the fourth, powered by a balanced scoring attack and a strong performance from their second unit. The victory followed NLEX’s impressive upset of Rain or Shine last Wednesday, reinforcing their dominance atop the standings.

With the win, NLEX improved to 9–2, locking in the coveted playoff incentive. Converge fell to 4–7, mathematically eliminating their chance to reach the quarterfinals.

“We hope this time, we can pull through,” said head coach Jong Uichico, reflecting on their missed opportunity to secure the win-once advantage during the Philippine Cup.

NLEX’s offensive firepower was on full display, with three players scoring 20 or more points. Cady Lalanne dominated inside, finishing with 22 points and 14 rebounds—including 11 in the fourth quarter—to help seal the game.

Deschon Winston added 21 points, going 13-of-16 from the free-throw line, and played a key role in the decisive third-quarter surge alongside Lalanne, Xyrus Torres, and Tony Semerad that extended NLEX’s lead to 76–58. Robert Bolick also contributed 21 points with five assists, while Semerad added 11 points, including three triples, as the lead swelled to 21, 96–75, in the closing minutes.

For Converge, Justin Arana led with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Archie Concepcion added 10. However, foul trouble plagued the FiberXers, who were whistled for 32 infractions compared to NLEX’s 14, resulting in a lopsided free-throw margin of 36–9.

Converge will aim to close out its season on a positive note against eliminated Blackwater on May 9, while NLEX wraps up the elimination round against Titan Ultra on May 5 at the same venue.