The NLEX Road Warriors rallied past TNT Tropang 5G, 118-111, in a thrilling overtime battle at the Ynares Center in Antipolo during their PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup matchup, despite losing import DeQuan Jones to a severe injury.
Robert Bolick anchored NLEX with 27 points, eight assists, five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Ljay Gonzales delivered a stellar performance, firing a career-high 26 points and pulling down six rebounds as the Road Warriors improved their campaign to a 7-1 record.
The victory came at a heavy cost. Jones was forced off the floor with 7:27 remaining in the third quarter after sustaining a reported right leg fracture. Before the freak injury, he had already produced 23 points, four rebounds, and a block.
Head coach Jimmy Alapag rallied the team after the setback, urging them to finish the match in honor of their sidelined import.
“I told them when DJ went down, the best thing that we could do to honor what he means to this team is to fight for the rest of the game,” Alapag said.
NLEX responded by overcoming a 14-point deficit. Trailing 99-104 with 30 seconds remaining in regulation, Bolick drained a clutch four-pointer to bring NLEX within one. After Roger Pogoy answered with a three-point play for TNT, Bolick sank another dramatic fallaway four-pointer to tie the game and send it to extra time. TNT had a chance to win in regulation, but Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser missed a buzzer-beating jumper.
In overtime, Gonzales took charge with six points, while Anthony Semerad hit a go-ahead triple for a 112-109 lead before adding a late insurance basket to seal the win.
“Nag-tiwala lang sa amin si Coach Jimmy, at dine-dedicate namin ‘to kay DJ,” Gonzales stated after the game.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led TNT with 30 points and 13 rebounds, while Rey Nambatac added 28 points before fouling out. Pogoy and Ganuelas-Rosser scored 15 points each as TNT dropped to a 4-4 record in Group A.