Road Warriors stay unbeaten, hand Beermen first loss

NLEX remained the lone unbeaten team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors' Cup after cruising to a 110-96 victory over San Miguel Beer on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The Road Warriors improved to a league-best 4-0 record, taking sole possession of the Group A lead while ending the Beermen's three-game winning streak.

NLEX seized control with a dominant second quarter before extending its lead to as many as 25 points in the third. San Miguel mounted a late rally in the fourth, trimming the deficit to eight, but the Road Warriors quickly regained control.

Robert Bolick halted the Beermen's charge with a four-point shot before Robbie Herndon added a three-pointer to cap a decisive 7-0 run that restored a 99-84 advantage with 6:23 remaining. Import DeQuan Jones then anchored NLEX's strong finish.

"Really proud of our guys," said head coach Jimmy Alapag. "Any time you play San Miguel, with all their championship experience, it's always a great test for a young team. But I thought we were very resilient, especially in the second half."

Jones led the Road Warriors with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Deschon Winston added 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Winston sparked NLEX's pivotal second-quarter surge, highlighted by a 14-0 run that turned a tight contest into a comfortable lead.

Tony Semerad contributed 15 points, while Bolick nearly posted a triple-double with 14 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds. Herndon chipped in 13 points off the bench as five NLEX players scored in double figures.

Alapag credited his backcourt tandem for setting the tone.

"I think a lot of what we do starts with Schonny and Berto," he said. "I thought their aggressiveness early helped set the tone for our team because they can do so much."

"They can score from the perimeter, they can attack the basket, and they've been great for us so far."

San Miguel threatened after Don Trollano ignited an 18-2 run, scoring 14 of his 16 points after halftime to cut the deficit to eight on two occasions in the fourth quarter.

However, Bolick's four-pointer halted the comeback before NLEX closed out the victory.

"Trollano's one of the best shooters in the league and he got going," Alapag said. "But I thought our poise in the second half was great for the young team that we have, and we were able to get stops and score when we needed."

George King paced San Miguel with 31 points and eight rebounds, while June Mar Fajardo finished with 15 points and six rebounds as the Beermen dropped to 3-1.