MANILA — The Kia Carnival proved their mastery of the San Miguel Beermen, bringing down the 2015 Philippine Cup champion, 83-78, Wednesday night in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena. Kia also scored its first win in the 2015 Commissioner's Cup at the expense of SMB, 88-78, in February this year. Seven-foot Senegalese import Hamady N'Diyae led the Carnival with 21 points, seven rebounds and two steals. But the biggest revelation of the night was seldom used Alex Nuyles who came off the bench to finish with a career-high 18 points, six rebounds and two steals, the last one ensuring Kia's victory after SMB made a late run in a bid to steal the game where Kia led all the way. Taiwanese import Jet Chang added 14 points for Kia, which shot a high 44 percent on 33 of 75 shooting from the floor. In contrast, SMB shot a woeful 33.8 percent from the floor on 24 of 71 shooting. The Carnival ruled the shaded lane, beating the Beermen, 44-2,0 in points in the paint. Alex Cabagnot led SMB with 18 points while import Arizona Reid collected 17 points, 10 boards and five assists. Marcio Lassiter and Jun Mar Fajardo added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Barako Bull 101, NLEX 96 After a roaring start, the Barako Bull Energy faded briefly at midpoint but regained their fierce form down the stretch to hack out a 101-96 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors. JC Intal and 7-foot 265-pound import Liam McMorrow presided over a searing Barako Bull comeback in the fourth quarter to start their campaign in the season-ending conference on a winning note. Intal drilled 14 of his 24 points in the final quarter, including 3-of-3 from beyond the three-point arc, as the Energy regain the lead after seeing their 21-point first half lead vanish in the third quarter. McMorrow also played a huge role in the Barako Bull victory, posting a team-high 33 points on top of 22 rebounds. The Canadian import's sheer size allowed Barako Bull to gain a 62-43 advantage in rebounds and 24-9 edge in second-chance points. New Barako Bull recruit Dylan Ababou also made a smashing debut for his new team after being traded by Ginebra, scoring 16 points off the bench. Barako Bull led by as much as 22 points, 47-25, in the second quarter. But Syrian import Michel Madanly and American reinforcement Kwame Alexander led a furious NLEX rally in the third, allowing the Road Warriors to grab the lead. Madanly nailed 12 of his team-high 26 points during that stretch. Alexander, a late replacement for original import Rob Jones, finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Macmac Cardona and Jonas Villanueva added 11 and 10 points, respectively for NLEX. After gaining control of the game in the third quarter, the Road Warriors suddenly lost steam when Madanly suffered a neck injury after a collision with Ababou, forcing him on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. Games Friday: GlobalPort Batang Pier vs. Blackwater Elite and Alaska Aces vs. Barangay Ginebra Kings.
