By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Kevin Alas stepped up offensively in the fourth quarter as NLEX Road Warriors cruised to a 124-102 victory over Blackwater Bossing in the 2022-2023 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum yesterday.

Holding to a slim 84-81 lead after three quarters, Alas conspired with reinforcement Jonathon Simmons as the Road Warriors broke away from the Bossing for a 94-87 lead.

Blackwater rallied to within 96-100 after a triple by Jvee Casio, but NLEX got a three-pointer from Hesed Gabo and 10 straight points from Alas for a 113-98 advantage.

The Bossing cut it back to 13 points after an inside conversion by Renato Ular, but free throws by Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and another triple by Simmons gave the Road Warriors a 120-102 edge.

Alas finished the game with 31 points, with 19 coming in the fourth quarter, to go with eight rebounds and four assists as the Road Warriors tied Meralco Bolts and Converge FiberXers at 1-0.

Simmons led the way for the Road Warriors with 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, Ganuelas-Rosser added 21 markers, while Anthony Semerad and Mike Nieto chipped in 15 and 12 markers, respectively.

It was not sure if this was just a one-and-done appearance for Simmons, as Road Warriors head coach Frankie Lim said on Tuesday, January 24, that his import got a lucrative offer from a Chinese Basketball Association-based team.

Shawn Glover tallied 26 points, Ular added double-double 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Baser Amer and Yousef Taha ended with 13 points each for the Bossing.

NLEX 124 — Simmons 32, Alas 31, Ganuelas-Rosser 21, Semerad 15, Nieto 12, Gabo, Pascual 3, Trollano 3, Anthony 2, Miranda 0.

BLACKWATER 102 — Glover 26, Ular 14, Amer 13, Taha 13, Suerte 9, Ilagan 8, McCarthy 5, Banal 4, Casio 3, Sena 3, Escoto 2, Torralba 2, Hill 0, DiGregorio 0.

Quarterscores: 26-22, 58-56, 84-81, 124-102./ASC, WDJ