September 23 ------ DEQUAN Jones scored 44 points to lift NLEX to a place in the quarterfinals, beating Barangay Ginebra, 103-99, in overtime in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. Jones lifted the Road Warriors to victory to secure the No. 4 seed in the quarterfinals in Group B.
Ginebra missed the services of Justin Brownlee in the final three minutes of overtime, and NLEX took advantage. Brownlee earlier led the Kings to a fightback from seven points down in the regulation to force overtime. With Brownlee out, Jones took over and drained a three-pointer with 2:17 left in overtime for a 101-96 lead that NLEX was able to protect until the final buzzer. NLEX moved to 5-5, and will still take the fourth seed even with a Blackwater win over Rain or Shine on Monday.
The Road Warriors earned the victory as they nearly squandered a seven-point fourth quarter with two minutes left in regulation following a late charge by the Gin Kings with Brownlee capping the run with a dunk with 32.3 seconds left. Jones shot 4-of-6 from fours including one that got NLEX ahead, 89-84. It was followed by a Jones three that made it a 92-85 advantage to make up for his foul troubles early in the game. “We just wanted to keep the game in striking distance. We had control of the regulation period but they (Ginebra) made big plays. We missed some shots. That’s just the way the game is. We played with DJ almost the whole first half without him but the guys stayed in the game,” said NLEX coach Jong Uichico.
Robert Bolick had 16 points and 11 assists, while Anthony Semerad also contributed with 12 points and six rebounds for the Road Warriors. Justin Brownlee had 26 points and 12 rebounds before going down with cramps, while Japeth Aguilar added 22 points and nine rebounds for the Gin Kings, who dropped to 6-4 and will be the No. 3 seed team in Group B. Semerad opened the overtime period with back-to-back threes for a 98-94 lead before the crucial three by Jones.
NLEX captured back-to-back victories to reach the playoffs in a game where it held a 10-point lead, 31-21, even with Jones nursing three fouls only for Ginebra to keep it close in the second quarter after outscoring its opponent, 22-13, in the period.
The scores:
NLEX 103 – Jones 44, Bolick 16, Semerad 12, Valdez 8, Policarpio 6, Torres 6, Amer 4, Mocon 3, Rodger 2, Miranda 2.
Barangay 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.
Source: spin.ph
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