By REYNALD MAGALLON
NLEX rode on the broad shoulders of import Dequan Jones in the second half to outlast Barangay Ginebra, 103-99 in overtime to catch the last bus to the playoffs in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, Sept. 22.
Saddled by foul trouble in the first half, Jones came alive in the second half and the extra period dropping 36 of his 44 points to lift the Road Warriors past the Kings and to the quarterfinals.
NLEX closed out the eliminations with a 5-5 record to move on to the next round as even if Blackwater wins its last game against Rain or Shine to also improve to a similar record, the Road Warriors will still get the spot by virtue of its +6 point differential.
Limited to just eight points in the first half due to three early fouls, Jones managed to adjust and find his rhythm from deep firing four four-pointers and a clutch triple in overtime that gave NLEX a 101-96 lead with 2:16 left.
Ginebra, however, kept itself within striking distance, trailing by four, 103-99, in the waning seconds but RJ Abarrientos went a little wide to the right in his four-pointer that could have sent the contest to the second overtime.
Robert Bolick had his usual all-around numbers of 16 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds to provide ample support to Jones while Anthony Semerad, who had two huge triples in OT to give the lead back to NLEX, added 12 points while putting a body on either Japeth Aguilar or Justin Brownlee on the defensive end.
Brownlee paced Ginebra with 26 points and 12 rebounds – none bigger than his fastbreak layup that tied the game at 92-all with 32.2 seconds in regulation, eventually sending the contest to the overtime.
However, the 37-year-old import, who also had 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks to his name, failed to finish the contest due to severe cramps in OT.
Japeth Aguilar had a double-double of 22 points and nine rebounds while Maverick Ahanmisi finished with 15 for Ginebra which ended the eliminations at third spot with a 6-4 record.
The Kings will then face archrival and Group A second seed Meralco Bolts in the crossover quarterfinals. With Ginebra’s loss, Rain or Shine is also now assured of the top spot in Group A while San Miguel places second. NLEX, meanwhile, by finishing fourth will take on Group A top seed TNT.
The Scores (OT):
NLEX 103 – Jones 44, Bolick 16, Semerad 12, Valdez 8, Policarpio 6, Torres 6, Amer 4, Mocon 3, Rodger 2, Miranda 2
GINEBRA 99 – Brownlee 26, J.Aguilar 22, Ahanmisi 15, Abarrientos 14, Thompson 12, Holt 7, Pinto 3, Cu 0, Adamos 0, Tenorio 0, R. Aguilar 0
QUARTERS : 26-21, 39-43, 71-68, 92-92, 103-99
