NLEX kept the lead in Group A of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup after beating Titan Ultra, 147-115, on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The game was tied at the half, but the Road Warriors suddenly roared in the third with 37 big points for a 102-79 lead entering the fourth, never to look back en route to winning their second game in a row since the conference resumed.

Coach Jimmy Alapag and his men improved to 9-2 with the win, and will look to clinch the no. 1 spot in the pool when they take on San Miguel next Wednesday, October 21, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, set for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

It would be a battle for the top seed, with the Beermen coming into the bout with an 8-3 record following a 135-105 rout of Terrafirma earlier in the night.

SMB will have to beat NLEX by 15 points or more in order to claim pole position after losing in their first-round encounter by way of a 110-96 decision.

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“It’s one of the best games that you can play before the playoffs,” Alapag said. “Kasi you’re playing against a champion team, a team that’s dominated in the PBA for quite some time. It will be a great test for our guys.

“Thankfully, we have a week to prepare. The staff and I will watch film and get ready for next week,” the former league MVP turned mentor added.

Deonte Burton top-scored for the Road Warriors with 21 points, together with nine rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and two blocks for a full line.

Robert Bolick supplied 20 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. Kevin Alas had 19 points to lead the bench mob, where the majority of the double-digit scorers came from—LJ Gonzales (17), Robbie Herndon (16), and Xyrus Torres (12).

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The Giant Risers, on the other hand, were led by the game-high 33 points of Joshua Munzon in the loss, which was already their fourth consecutive.

Tirrell Brown backed him up with 29 points and eight rebounds. Aris Dionisio added 16 for the cellar dwellers, who were actually giving NLEX some fight, especially in the first half, as they entered the break in a 65-all deadlock.

NLEX did manage to overcome such a difficult start but Alapag, even if his men took care of business eventually, was far from satisfied, for he wanted the Road Warriors to shift into playoff mode with the quarterfinals drawing closer.

“It’s important for our team to understand what we’re preparing for. Kasi, we know we’re in the quarterfinals; we don’t know who we’re playing yet. But we know that whoever it is, it will be a playoff-contending team,” he warned.

“Kailangan, ‘yung mindset and ‘yung effort namin, should be in a playoff-type effort, and I don’t think that was the case in the first half,” the 48-year-old bench tactician added. “I made it clear to our guys that I was not happy.”

Titan Ultra will finish its first season in the league against Terrafirma in a meeting between early vacationers this Saturday, October 17, in Antipolo as well.

The Scores:

NLEX 147 – Burton 21, Bolick 20, Alas 19, Gonzales 17, Herndon 16, Torres 12, Winston 9, Semerad 9, Rodger 6, Marcelo 4, Bahio 3, Capulong 3, Gamboa 2, Racal 0, Nieto 0.

Titan Ultra 115 – Munson 33, Brown 29, Dionisio 16, Javillonar 9, Yu 7, Garcia 6, Inigo 6, Caralipio 3, Ular 2, Omega 2, Amores 2, Deles 0, Wong 0, Pessumal 0.

Quarterscores: 22-27, 65-65, 102-79, 147-115.

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Meralco leaned on Chris Newsome and Jordon Varnado to repel Blackwater, 120-115, in a Tuesday night thriller at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium to notch a win so crucial in their PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup quarterfinal hopes.

Varnado finished with 31 points on top of seven rebounds and seven assists, while Newsome produced 24 and six boards as the two came through with crucial plays down the stretch to save the Bolts after losing a 20-point lead.

‘Newnew’ put them ahead with a three-point play, before Varnado dished out a nifty pass to a cutting Cliff Hodge, who followed up with a layup off a strong drive for a 7-0 run toward a 118-113 lead with 42 seconds left.

The Bossing tried to threaten by cutting the gap to only a single possession, 118-115, but couldn’t pull off crucial stops as Varnado went on to seal the deal with a perfect trip to the free-throw line with only 7.9 seconds to spare.

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“A lot of heroes from us,” said Coach Luigi Trillo. “Credit to Blackwater; they went small, gumamit ng players who can switch. It worked at nakahabol sila.”

Meralco has overtaken Blackwater at the No. 4 spot in Group B by improving to 4-5, with its foe dropping to 3-6 after losing its second game in a row.

“Magrarambulan pa ‘yan eh,” Trillo said about the scenarios in their stacked pool, which is currently led by Magnolia (6-3) followed by Rain or Shine and Phoenix, whom they will be facing this Friday to finish their group phase run.

“But at this point, we just need to control what’s in front of us, which is Phoenix. You know, point differential comes into play that’s why even in that last play we tried to score … we take this W and we move forward to the next one.”

Bong Quinto supplied 15 points and nine rebounds plus three assists. Hodge, sporting protective eyewear after undergoing eye laser surgery, made 12 points and eight rebounds, while Jason Brickman chipped in 10 and six assists.

“We fought tonight. Wonderful game we played,” said Varnado, who also had two steals and two blocks. “Give Blackwater credit; they came back, they kept fighting, we just sustained the lead and just kept fighting and finished it.”

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Sedrick Barefield had 31 points and five rebounds to lead the Bossing, who fell to 3-5 and is now sharing the same record with Barangay Ginebra.

Kentrell Barkley made 29 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. RK Ilagan and Dalph Panopio added 15 and 11, respectively, in the defeat, which was their second to Meralco in this conference after losing in the first round, 116-114.

The Scores:

Meralco 120 – Varnado 31, Newsome 24, Quinto 15, Hodge 12, Brickman 10, Mocon 9, Bates 7, Banchero 6, Cansino 6, Almazan 0

Blackwater 115 – Barefield 31, Barkley 29, Ilagan 15, Panopio 10, Una 9, Tratter 7, David 5, DiGregorio 3, Escoto 3, Murrell 3, Demusis 0, Austria 0, Cruz-Dumont 0, Mallillin 0.

Quarterscores: 32-36, 68-58, 97-86, 120-115

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At 34, Jio Jalalon believes that his time in basketball is soon coming to a close, thus the new mindset he has since recovering from back surgery.

The former PBA Press Corps Defensive Player of the Year is trying to make the most of his opportunity with TNT at this point in his career, just like what he did in their rout of Macau in the Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Tuesday.

He notched a rare triple-double of 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists in 22 minutes, turning in a performance reminiscent of his exploits during his college days with Arellano University and while proving his worth early in his pro career.

“I’m thankful and grateful kasi ito naman ‘yung ano ko ngayon sa buhay ko. Like, alam ko patapos na ako sa basketball sa PBA,” he said moments after the Tropang 5G’s 142-27 mauling of the Giant Pandas for their third win in a row.

“But, gusto ko lang matapos ‘yung career ko na ganito, like ganito, ‘yung trabaho na natatapos ko. Yun ang inaano ko sa sarili ko, na every day mag-improve lang ako one percent, so gusto ko lang magtrabaho.”

It’s quite a surprising musing from Jalalon, for he appears to have more years of solid basketball left, although it is understandable at the same time, considering that he went through chronic sciatica, which put some doubts on his future.

That injury was the reason why his form dropped for a time, pushing him to have it repaired surgically as a way to address the issue and to continue playing.

Months later, he’s definitely feeling better, so much so that he was able to register his third PBA career triple-double on Tuesday following a thorough check by the league’s chief statistician, Fidel Mangonon III, through records.

It was, furthermore, his first triple-double in the last three seasons, becoming the fourth active local player to tally three triple-doubles after Chris Ross, former league MVP Scottie Thompson, and rookie Juan Gomez de Liano.

“Sobrang tagal na,” reflected Jalalon, who recorded his first two triple-doubles during his time with Magnolia. “Sabi ko nga sa sarili ko, nakaka-miss mag-basketball. Kaya ito na ‘yung ano ko, na wala akong regret na sa buhay.

“Na maglalaro lang ako; kung ano ‘yung trabaho ko, sige, pasok lang ako, basta I’m always ready,” added the special Gilas draftee back in 2016.

Maximizing his time on the court is also his way of repaying the trust given by the flagship MVP franchise, especially after signing him to a one-year extension.

“Sobrang thankful and grateful ako kay Boss Jolas and Coach Chot, siyempre binigyan pa rin ako ng work. Blessed ako dahil nandito pa rin ako,” he said.

“Every day pinapakita ko sa kanila na kaya ko pang gawin yung makakaya ko maitulong sa team,” added Jalalon, who was picked up by TNT via free agency a day before Season 50 opened.

“As a role player sa TNT, I’m always ready.”

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