MANILA, Philippines – Brought in as a replacement import late in the PBA Governors’ Cup, DeQuan Jones showed why he’s the perfect fit for the NLEX Road Warriors.
In an all-important Group B matchup against Barangay Ginebra, Jones went off for 44 points as NLEX punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with a 103-99 overtime win at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, September 22.
With the hard-earned victory, the Road Warriors improved to 5-5 and eliminated the Blackwater Bossing from playoff contention, setting up a best-of-five quarterfinal clash with Group A leader TNT Tropang Giga.
Jones — who just played his third game with the Road Warriors after replacing former import Myke Henry — shot a healthy 14-of-25 field goal clip, including an impressive 4-of-6 shooting from the four-point line to reach 44 points, to go along with 10 rebounds.
“Myke (Henry) is a great player. He gave what he could give. It was just a coach’s decision that we needed a different type of player that can play what [DeQuan] is giving us,” said NLEX head coach Jong Uichico of the import change.
“Myke played the three more than he played the four. I made the decision that maybe we can get a four man because we have ample three men,” added Uichico.
With NLEX threatening to pull away with a 92-85 lead off an and-one by Jones with 2:14 to play in regulation, Ginebra rookie RJ Abarrientos sank a cold-blooded trey, followed by back-to-back baskets by Justin Brownlee to tie things up with 32.3 seconds left.
Anthony Semerad had a chance to put NLEX back in the driver’s seat in the dying seconds of the final frame, but he failed to convert on his corner three-point attempt.
Luckily for NLEX, Abarrientos’ potential game-winning three-point heave at the buzzer also missed the mark.
In the extra period, with NLEX only ahead by 2 points, Jones connected on a tough, stepback triple to give the Road Warriors a much-needed two-possession cushion, 101-96, with 2:16 left.
NLEX’s Richie Rodger followed it up with an easy layup to extend their lead to 103-97, before Stephen Holt responded with a layup to cut the deficit back to a single possession.
Abarrientos then had another opportunity to send the game into another overtime after Javee Mocon failed to ice the game for NLEX with his jumper, but the third pick in the 2024 PBA Draft came up short on his four-point attempt as time expired.
Robert Bolick backed up Jones with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists, while Semerad contributed 12 points.
Prior to exiting the game early in overtime due to cramps, Brownlee paced Ginebra with a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds.
Japeth Aguilar chipped in 22 markers and 9 boards for the Gin Kings, who will now face longtime rival Meralco Bolts in the quarterfinals after falling to third place in Group B with a 6-4 record.
Earlier, the Tropang Giga vented their ire on the also-ran NorthPort Batang Pier, 99-79, to wrap up their elimination-round campaign in Group A on a winning note.
Coming off a stunning loss at the hands of the Terrafirma Dyip last Thursday, September 19, the Tropang Giga made sure there would be no upset this time around as they dominated the Batang Pier in the final 12 minutes en route to the 20-point blowout.
After leading by just 5 points at the end of the third period, 65-60, TNT turned on the jets at the start of the final frame and opened the quarter with a quick 9-0 blast to finally break away from NorthPort.
TNT then expanded its lead to as many as 25 points late in the fourth quarter, 99-74, as it closed out the eliminations with a league-leading 8-2 slate.
Playing minus its superstar import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson due to rest, TNT was led by Poy Erram, who collected a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Rey Nambatac likewise produced a double-double for the Tropang Giga with 15 markers and 11 boards, while Roger Pogoy and Henry Galinato added 14 and 11 points, respectively.
On the other side, Arvin Tolentino delivered a game-high 24 points for NorthPort, which finished the Governors’ Cup with a 3-7 card.
The Batang Pier played without a reinforcement for the second straight contest after their import Venky Jois suffered an Achilles tear in their loss to the Meralco Bolts last September 14.
The Scores
First Game
TNT 99 – Erram 17, Nambatac 15, Pogoy 14, Galinato 11, Williams 9, Oftana 7, Castro 6, Khobuntin 5, Ebona 4, Vosotros 3, Payawal 3, Heruela 2, Varilla 2, Exciminiano 1.
NorthPort 79 – Tolentino 24, Flores 18, Onwubere 7, Jalalon 6, Yu 5, Navarro 5, Amores 4, Nelle 3, Munzon 2, Taha 2, Cuntapay 2, Tratter 0, Bulanadi 0.
Quarters : 19-25, 43-36, 65-60, 99-79.
Second Game
NLEX 103 – DeQuan 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 (reg.), 103-99 (OT).
– Rappler.com
