By REYNALD MAGALLON
Converge displayed great poise down the stretch and claimed the notable scalp of San Miguel Beer, 107-103, to get back on the winning track in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday, Feb. 11.
The FiberXers came through with big plays on both ends of the floor with Jamaal Franklin, Maverick Ahanmisi and Justin Arana all giving their share in the big win that had them tied with the Beermen in the standings with identical 5-1 records.
Franklin finished with 37 points – 10 of those in the final frame to lift Converge to a big win over the overwhelming favorites. Ahanmisi added 15 points, none bigger than the last three he nailed from the right corner to give the FiberXers a 102-98 cushion.
Arana then made a huge block on a driving CJ Perez in the next play although the SMB star made up for it with an and-1 play in the next possession to come within one, 101-102. Franklin and Arana though slammed the door on SMB with the former scoring on a tough layup before the latter foiled Vic Manuel’s attempt to preserve the lead in the waning minutes.
Franklin also finished with nine rebounds and seven assists while Alec Stockton and Jerrick Balanza were the other FiberXers in double-digits with 14 and 11 points respectively.
Cameron Clark paced SMB with 30 points but was only limited to just four points in the final frame as no other player not named Perez and Jericho Cruz scored in the last five minutes of the contest.
Perez finished with 28 points while Cruz added 14 but were not enough to help SMB survive a cold-shooting night from three-point territory with a measly 4-of-28 shooting from the field. It also didn’t help that June Mar Fajardo was hampered by foul trouble in the second half before fouling out with still 2:57 to go with only seven points to show.
TNT KEEPS ITS MASTERY
Meantime, TNT proved to be a tough nut to crack for Terrafirma as Jalen Hudson and the Tropang Giga asserted its mastery over the Dyip with a 131-109 win.
A blistering 17-0 run bridging the first and second quarters set the tone for TNT’s rout, turning a 20-27 deficit into a 10-point advantage, 37-27, which even ballooned to as many as 30 points midway through the final frame to pick its fifth win in six games and good for third spot of the standings.
The win also extended the Tropang Giga’s dominance over the Dyip as they extended their winning run over the Terrafirma franchise to 15 straight victories spanning the last six seasons – the last two of which with a winning margin of 29.5 points.
Hudson showed the way for TNT with 36 points on an efficient 12-of-15 clip from the field on top of his six rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Mikey Williams also unloaded 26 points while RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana finished with 16 and 15 points respectively.
The scores:
First Game
TNT 131 – Hudson 36, M.Williams 26, Pogoy 16, Oftana 15, K.Williams 10, Castro 7, Chua 4, Khobunton 5, Montalbo 5, Cruz 3, Marcelo 2, Ganuelas-Rosser 2, Acuno 0.
TERRAFIRMA 109 – J.Williams 38, Tiongson 18, Gomez de Liano 13, Camson 13, Alolino 9, Mina 8, Gabayni 6, Daquioag 2, C ahilig 2, Cabagnot 0, Calvo 0, Ramos 0.
Quarters: 31-27, 68-53, 96-77, 131-109.
Second Game
CONVERGE 107 – Franklin 37, Ahanmisi 15, Stockton 14, Balanza 11, Arana 9, Ebona 8, Tratter 6, Teng 5, Guinto 2, Racal 0, Murrell 0
SAN MIGUEL 103 – Clark 30, Perez 28, Cruz 14, Lassiter 8, Fajardo 7, Tautuaa 4, Bulanadi 3, Ross 3, Manuel 2, Brondial 2, Enciso 2
Quarters: 29-23, 50-49, 81-76, 107-103.
