Winston's Career-High 30 Powers NLEX Rout Over Titan

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Schonny Winston turned in the best scoring performance of his career at the perfect time.

The NLEX guard erupted for a career-high 30 points, leading the Road Warriors to a lopsided 135-100 demolition of Titan Ultra on Tuesday, July 14, in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. The win handed rookie head coach Jimmy Alapag a milestone night and pushed NLEX to a perfect 3-0 start in Group A.

Schonny Winston led NLEX to its third straight win with a career-best performance against Titan Ultra. [PBA Images]

Winston, Bolick Lead Fourth-Quarter Blitz to Bury Titan

NLEX flipped the switch in the fourth quarter, outscoring Titan Ultra 38-18 down the stretch to turn a tight contest into a rout.

It was a sharp contrast to the Road Warriors’ previous outing, where they narrowly escaped Terrafirma with a 101-100 win last Sunday. This time, there was no late-game drama.

Robert Bolick finished with 29 points, while DeQuan Jones added 22 as NLEX’s three-headed attack proved too much for Titan to handle. Winston capped his career night with 15 points in the fourth quarter alone.

Alapag credited his team’s balanced scoring and early aggression for setting the tone.

“I think we’re getting a lot of contributions from different guys, obviously,” Alapag said. “Berto and Schonny are a big part of what we do. I think they’re two of the top guards in the league. But I thought their aggressiveness early in the game set the tone.”

He also praised Jones’ consistency through the first three games of the conference.

“Siyempre si DJ (Jones),” Alapag said. “He’s been solid these first three games — as we need him to be. But, again, really happy with the effort from the entire group.”

The win made Alapag the first rookie head coach to open a conference 3-0 since Rain or Shine’s Chris Gavina accomplished the feat during the 2021 Philippine Cup.

Titan Ultra Falls Despite Tirrell Brown’s Strong Debut

Titan Ultra’s night wasn’t without bright spots, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a third straight loss.

Import Tirrell Brown made an impressive debut, posting 27 points and 10 rebounds. Roi Sumang chipped in 18 points, Joshua Munzon added 17 and JB Sajonia scored 11.

The Giant Risers even showed fight in the third quarter, clawing back from an early 36-59 deficit. Behind Mark Omega, Munzon and Sajonia, Titan trimmed the gap to 63-72 heading into the final period.

But NLEX had an answer.

Bolick and Winston took over in the fourth quarter, powering a sustained run that pushed the lead back out to 97-82 before the Road Warriors pulled away for good.

The loss marked Titan’s second straight blowout defeat, following a 74-105 beatdown at the hands of Converge, also last Sunday.

For NLEX, the victory was more than just a win in the standings — it was proof of growth.

“I told the guys that as we go along this conference, our growth is gonna be a big key,” Alapag said. “But I thought tonight we did a much better job of being consistent with our game plan, both offensively and defensively.”