NLEX head coach Jimmy Alapag wasn’t in a celebratory mood despite pushing his squad to a 2-0 start — and a nail-biting 101-100 escape act against Terrafirma explains why. The Road Warriors watched a commanding 23-point lead evaporate in a nightmarish fourth quarter Sunday at the Ynares Center in Montalban, needing a last-gasp defensive stand to avoid a stunning collapse in the PBA Governors Cup.

Road Warriors’ Fourth-Quarter Meltdown Nearly Costs Them the Game

NLEX looked to be cruising toward a blowout, carrying a commanding 90-67 lead into the final frame off the strength of a red-hot first half. But the wheels came off in spectacular fashion as the Road Warriors’ shooting went ice cold, allowing Terrafirma to storm back with a staggering 33-11 run in the fourth quarter alone.

The Dyip’s furious rally was fueled by Maverick Ahanmisi, Juami Tiongson and Justin Strings, who capped the comeback with a clutch 15-foot jumper to knot the game at 100-101 with just 42.7 seconds remaining. Terrafirma even had a chance to complete the improbable steal of a win, regaining possession in the final 10 seconds after Robert Bolick and Xyrus Torres both missed long-range attempts for NLEX.

The Road Warriors caught a break when Strings rushed a potential go-ahead three-pointer. Geo Chiu grabbed the offensive rebound, but time expired before he could get a follow-up shot away, sealing NLEX’s second straight win by the slimmest of margins.

“I think we’ve got to give a lot of credit to Terrafirma. I thought they played great,” Alapag said afterward, with his team now sitting atop the Group A standings. But the veteran coach made it clear the win came with plenty of lessons learned. “I have to do a better job. I don’t think I did a very good job in that fourth quarter,” he admitted — a sharp contrast to NLEX’s dominant 114-75 rout of Macau just two days earlier.

Alapag credited Terrafirma’s zone defense for disrupting his team’s rhythm down the stretch, but pointed to his squad’s late-game execution as the difference-maker. “I think the [Dyip’s] zone [defense] gave us some issues, but again that’s credit to Terrafirma and their coaching staff. But I thought we made the stops when we needed. Even though the shots weren’t going down, we were able to get the stop — especially the last shot — to win the game.”

DeQuan Jones’ Tale of Two Halves Powers NLEX Despite Late Struggles

DeQuan Jones was the story of the game for NLEX, even if his fourth-quarter struggles mirrored his team’s collapse. Jones erupted for 25 points in a blistering first half, single-handedly igniting an 18-0 run that blew the game open and staked the Road Warriors to a commanding 62-41 lead before a 65-48 halftime cushion.

But the hot hand went cold when it mattered most. Jones shot just 2-for-9 over the entire second half as NLEX’s offense stalled at the worst possible time. Still, his first-half explosion was enough to carry him to a game-high 30 points, adding seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks for good measure. Schonny Winston chipped in 13 points, while Robert Bolick tallied 12 points and seven assists in the win.

Terrafirma’s comeback bid was nearly enough to steal the upset, powered by a balanced attack from Ahanmisi (19 points, six rebounds, six assists) and Tiongson (19 points). Strings was the biggest X-factor in the fourth-quarter surge, finishing with 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists after being held to just five points on four shot attempts in the first half.

For NLEX, the win keeps its unbeaten record intact and its Group A lead secure — but Alapag’s postgame reaction made it clear his team has plenty to clean up before its next test in the PBA Governors Cup.