ANTIPOLO - Promise fulfilled.
Keeping his end of the deal, outbound import Jonathan Simmons sparked NLEX to a perfect 4-0 win-loss record in the PBA Governors' Cup Saturday at the Ynares Center here.
In his last hurrah before leaving camp, Simmons delivered 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals as the Road Warriors nipped Phoenix, 98-94, and grabbed a share of the lead with Converge.
The prolific import banged in nine in the last canto as he restored a 92-76 tear for NLEX after Phoenix wiped out its early twin-digit cushions.
"No regrets but kinda sad (to leave NLEX this soon)," said Simmons, whose PBA debut was cut short by a lucrative offer to return to his Chinese club.
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"There's a lot of money on the table and I'm a family guy. So this move was mostly for my family. And coach and NLEX have been very understanding since the first time we addressed this," he said.
Simmons, who previously powered NLEX to impressive triumphs over Blackwater, NorthPort and TnT, will be replaced by Wayne Selden.
"It's too bad Sims (Simmons) had to leave but again, we just have to go on and work more with our 4-0 run," said coach Frankie Lim.
The NLEX mentor said he would miss Simmons' top-caliber skills and tremendous work ethic.
"I'll miss his leadership. This guy knows how to win games. He's a nice guy to work with even in practice, magaan kasama," said Lim.
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NLEX led by as many as 13 in the second canto but couldn't shake off Phoenix easily.
The Fuel Masters cut the lead to within three at the half and even overtook the Road Warriors, 73-70 late in the third.
Simmons' transition dunk off a steal gave NLEX a 16-point separation at the 4:37 of the fourth. But again, the Road Warriors had to deal with Phoenix's fightback and banked on clutch free throw shooting by Tony Semerad, Brandon Rosser and Kevin Alas to ensure the W.
Semerad (16), Rosser (14) and Don Trollano (11) complemented Simmons in scoring.
Du'Vaughn Maxwell shot 25 for Phoenix, which fell to 1-4.
The Scores:
NLEX 98 - Simmons 38, Semerad 16, Ganuelas-Rosser 14, Trollano 11, Alas 9, Rosales 4, Anthony 3, Pascual 2, Nieto 1
PHOENIX 94 - Maxwell 25, Perkins 17, Jazul 13, Tio 11, Manganti 8, Muyang 6, Lalata 4, Garcia 4, Soyud 4, Lojera 2, Adamos 0, Alejandro 0, Serrano 0, Camacho 0
QUARTERS: 32-23, 52-49, 76-73, 98-94
