ALEC Stockton delivered in the clutch for Converge with two important baskets to lead the FiberXers to victory against TNT on Sunday.
Stockton scored a tough lay-up with 11.3 seconds left in overtime to give Converge a 114-112 win over TNT to clinch the No. 3 seed in Group A.
Prior to that, Stockton also extended the game into overtime with a lay-up off a feed from Juan Gomez de Liano, 106-106.
READ: Clutch Alec Stockton lifts Converge past TNT in overtime thriller
Under the microscope a few times in the past for his miscues in the end game, Stockton made the headlines for the right reasons this time with his crucial plays that led to a win by Converge to close the eliminations with an 8-4 win-loss record.
“This is like a playoff game so that was our mentality,” said Stockton. “Credit to my teammates, the coaching staff, they made adjustments. My teammates were finding me. Just had the opportunity to get a chance to make plays, and made it happen down the stretch.”
“Just want to thank sila Coach Gov., sila Coach Djordje for the trust that they put on me out there,” he added.
Stockton scored a conference-high 19 points in the victory, continuing his impressive play since the resumption where he is now averaging 15 points, in contrast to his first eight games where he averaged 6.1 points.
“I just try to stay at it. Grateful ako sa trust nila regardless. I think just building on that, just having confidence from the coaches, teammates, my family, I know somehow, someway, it’s going to work out. I just kept the faith, kept working, and eventually, I got the opportunity, and I was able to show what I can do,” said Stockton.
Meanwhile, Stockton also got involved in a physical exchange with Henry Galinato, with the TNT big man being sent off for headbutting the Converge guard.
Stockton said the incident reflected on how much both teams wanted to win.
“I think that’s just part of the game. Like we said, going into the game, we were going to treat this as a playoff game. You know how it is being in the playoffs, it gets really physical. And that’s part of the game."
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