By REYNALD MAGALLON
Converge pounced on the ejection of Yeng Guiao and frustrated Rain or Shine, 103-96, to take the solo second in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
The FiberXers bucked a slow start and the dynamic duo of Alec Stockton and Jordan Heading presided over a huge second half onslaught to send the Elasto Painters reeling to their second straight defeat.
Stockton fired 17 of his 21 points in the second half while Heading had 16 of his 17 in the same stretch for Converge, which trailed by as many as 17 points following a flat start in the opening frame.
Import Cheick Diallo had an off night with only eight points and 13 rebounds to show but the rest of Converge picked up the slack with Justin Arana dropping 15 points and 11 rebounds and Kevin Racal chipping in 13 points on a perfect 4-of-4 clip from the three-point territory.
The FiberXers improved to a 7-3 record just a game behind league-leading NorthPort which haS a 7-2 slate.
Converge recovered from a 23-6 start with the help of its defense, particularly in the second quarter where it limited Rain or Shine to just 13 in the second frame while exploding for 30 to get back into the game.
The FiberXers then made a huge run in the third frame to gain control before fending off a crucial run from the Elasto Painters who went on to score 11 unanswered points after Guiao was ejected with two technicals at the 4:45 mark of the third.
Meanwhile, a conference-best performance from Chris Banchero typified Meralco’s return to form as the Bolts sank the league-leading NorthPort Batang Pier, 111-94, to give its playoff hopes a big boost.
The veteran point guard unloaded 25 points to go with six assists and four rebounds as the Bolts proved to be already a playoff-ready team with their key pieces finally returning from several injuries.
And that was very much evident in the team’s defensive stand against the high-octane Batang Pier offense which, for the first time this conference, was limited below 100 points.
Meralco improved to a 6-3 record, forging a three-way deadlock with Eastern and Barangay Ginebra from fourth to sixth spots in the standings.
Akil Mitchell was also in his usual self with 30 points, 13 rebounds and five steals while Chris Newsome added 15 for the Bolts who got solid contributions all around their lineup in the big win.
While NorthPort import Kadeem Jack finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds, Meralco did a great job in limiting the dynamic duo of Arvin Tolentino and Joshua Munzon who combined for a 7-of-21 shooting from the field.
Tolentino finished with 19 but most of it came from the foul line while Munzon only had 12 points and committed five turnovers although he tried to make up for it with eight rebounds and six assists.
