Road Warriors hold on vs Fuel Masters

MANILA, Philippines -- The NLEX Road Warriors blew a 23-point lead but recovered just in time to keep the Phoenix Fuel Masters winless in the PBA Governors’ Cup, 100-95, Sunday evening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With the victory, NLEX is now 2-0 in Group B play.

Myke Henry carried the load for the Road Warriors with 37 points and nine rebounds.

After trailing by 23 points, 21-44, in the first half, Phoenix slowly but surely erased the advantage, with RR Garcia sparking the run in the final two quarters.

The Fuel Masters were able to grab the upper hand, 95-84, with 6:39 remaining after a Javee Mocon layup. Garcia then sank a deuce to push the lead to three.

The two teams were then caught in a nip-and-tuck affair in the final minutes.

Garcia hoisted up a huge 4-pointer with 2:42 remaining to give the Fuel Masters a 93-89 lead, along with a whole wave of momentum.

However, NLEX retaliated with a 7-0 run capped by a layup by Anthony Semerad to take the game on the palm of their hands, 96-93, as they tightened their defense.

With 30.1 ticks to go, Garcia cut the lead to one. However, Robbie Herndon hit a big corner trey that iced the game, 99-95.

A split from the line by Henry set the final score.

“We had almost the same scenario in the last game. We were able to weather the storm earlier. Now, we weathered the storm a little bit late and they got the lead,” NLEX head coach Jong Uichico told reporters after the win.

“We still maintained, I think, our composure. But during that stretch, we really lost our composure, we lost our defense, we lost everything and they pounced on that,” he added.

Semerad finished with 13 for NLEX, while Bolick struggled with just 11 points. However, he had nine assists and seven rebounds. 

Garcia paced Phoenix with 18 markers in 21 minutes. Jayveous McKinnis had 15 markers and 14 boards. 

Phoenix dropped to 0-2 in the import-laden conference.