PBA: NLEX blows by SMB to stay unbeaten

DeQuan Jones dominated anew for 4-0 NLEX. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—NLEX stood tall as the remaining undefeated team left in Group A of the PBA Governors' Cup after ripping San Miguel 110-96 on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

In the showdown between the two teams with a perfect 3-0 start to the group stages, the Road Warriors quickly pulled away from the Beermen, opening a 64-46 halftime lead before swelling the gap to 25 by the third quarter.

SMB somehow found a way to slow down NLEX in the fourth quarter, but the outcome was already settled by then.

DeQuan Jones led the Road Warriors, now 4-0 in the standings, with 27 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks.

Schonny Winston added 24 points on 9 of 17 field goals, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Robert Bolick came close to a triple-double with 14 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds.

George King put up 31 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and one steal to lead the Beermen, but he also had nine turnovers as they lost in a game that head coach Leo Austria showed up for after health issues forced him to temporarily hand the job to lead assistant Peter Martin.

Martin once again led the way for SMB as Austria took a seat behind the team's bench.