CHRIS Ross tipped his hat to Alec Stockton for hitting the game-winning shot in Converge’s 114-112 come-from-behind thriller against San Miguel despite initially being ejected out of the game.
“Credit to him. They let him stay in the game and he made a big shot,” said Ross moments after Game 3 of the PBA Governors Cup quarterfinals series between the FiberXers and Beermen on Monday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
READ Alec Stockton's buzzer-beater caps epic Converge comeback vs SMB
Stockton finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. He had six of those points in the fourth quarter including the game winning jumper off the outstretched arm of CJ Perez at the buzzer.
And to think the third year Fil-Am guard wasn’t even supposed to be playing for the FiberXers in the endgame.
Stockton was called for a flagrant foul 2 against Kris Rosales late in the first quarter for an elbow to the face of the San Miguel Beer guard, leading to his ejection.
But the infraction was later downgraded to flagrant foul 1, paving the way for the Far Eastern University product to return to Game 3 after sitting out for just three minutes.
“I don’t think he should be in the game, right? I think if you deliberately hit someone in the face with an elbow above the neck, I think that’s in the rule book, like deliberate over the neck, that’s F2, right?” asked Ross, the playing-assistant coach of San Miguel.
But the veteran guard said that’s water under the bridge and instead, stressed the loss was the Beermen’s own doing.
“You’re up 27, and your natural tendency is to relax,” said Ross, noting the Beermen should have put the FiberXers away after leading by as many as 83-56 late in the third period.
“Everyone did that, from the coaches to the last man on the bench, we all relaxed. We can’t do that.”
Despite the loss, San Miguel still leads the series, 2-1, with Game 4 set on Friday also at the same venue.
As for Stockton, the Beermen already learned their lesson.
“We’ll try to shut that down next game,” said Ross.
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