NLEX sizzles in fourth to surprise ROS

PBA

By Ivan Saldajeno

PASAY--NLEX took over in the fourth quarter to derail Rain Or Shine, 111-99, in their PBA Governors' Cup clash at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday night.

The Road Warriors went for 40 points in the final period as they came back and eventually pulled away from the Elasto Painters as the race for the last quarterfinal spots heats up.

ROS, which led by as much as 21, was ahead, 80-73, early in the fourth period, but NLEX went on a 12-1 run to claim the advantage, 85-81.

The Elasto Painters kept in step with the Road Warriors, but the latter finally broke free after ending the game on a 15-7 run.

Henry Walker led NLEX, which tied its victim in seventh and eighth places at 4-5, with 23 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and one steal, while Garvo Lanete added 21 points, 12 coming in the pivotal payoff period, with six triples.

Jonas Villanueva flirted with a double-double after tallying seven points and 10 of the team's 24 total assists without any turnover. NLEX only committed nine errors overall.

Paul Lee came off the bench to contribute 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists for ROS.

Jason Forte got his first start as an E-Painter, but he only had seven points on a dismal 1-of-8 field goal shooting, only getting majority of his points via free throws.

The said result puts Star, which is battling Meralco as of posting, in a win-or-go-home situation as a loss will eliminate the team from playoff contention.

Box Scores:

NLEX 111-Walker 23, Lanete 21, Villanueva E. 14, Anthony 12, Khobuntin 10, Alas 8, Villanueva J. 7, Taulava 6, Arboleda 5, Baracael 5, Monfort 0, Akl 0

Rain Or Shine 99-Lee 23, Chan 18, Cruz 16, Quinahan 11, Ahanmisi 8, Forte 7, Norwood 6, Nimes 3, Belga 3, Almazan 2, Trollano 2

Quarterscores: 12-30, 42-52, 71-75, 111-99

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno