ALEC Stockton came to the rescue of Converge, scoring seven of the team's last nine points to pull off a 105-97 win over Meralco in the PBA Governors’ Cup Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Fil-Am guard had 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter including a huge three pointer inside the final two minutes to put the FiberXers in front for good, 99-97.
The FiberXers won for the third straight time and improved to a 5-4 record as they moved up in third place ahead of Magnolia (4-4) in Group A, and closely inching its way to a berth in the quarterfinals.
It was also the first win streak for the franchise since going 4-0 at the start of the 2023 Governors' Cup.
“We want to prepare for the playoffs, but we want to get in there first,” said interim coach Franco Atienza.
New Converge import Jalen Jones, a replacement for the injured Scotty Hopson, had a game-high 32 points and 10 rebounds. He had nine points in the fourth quarter where he teamed up with Stockton in a blazing finish.
READ: Converge taps Jalen Jones to take over for injured Scotty Hopson
But it was Stockton who was the man of the hour for Converge as he got the better of his match up against Chris Banchero, hitting five straight points against the Meralco guard including two free throws that made it a 103-97 contest for the FiberXers.
"It was another battle, a scratch and claw fourth quarter. We're just glad our players held on, our import was there, and of couse, this guy (Stockton) showed up, he got the work and he got good numbers today. We're just glad were able to force the win today," said Atienza.
Stockton finished with a double-double as he also had 11 rebounds and shot 8-of-15 from the field.
Allen Durham finished with 25 points nine rebounds, and six assists to pace Meralco, which fell to a 6-3 record, but remained in second place in Group A.
The loss spoiled the conference-high of rookie CJ Cansino, who finished with 21 points to lead the Meralco locals.
Chris Newsome added 14 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 2:41 remaining on a contested call and the scored tied at 94.
The scores:
Converge 105 -- Jones 32, Stockton 27, Arana 12, Winston 8, Caralipio 8, Delos Santos 7, Santos 6, Ambohot 3, Nieto 2, Melecio 0, Andrade 0, Vigan-Fleming 0, Fornilos 0.
Meralco 97 -- Durham 25, Cansino 21, Newsome 14, Quinto 12, Banchero 10, Caram 6, Hodge 5, Bates 2, Almazan 2, Jose 0, Mendoza 0, Rios 0.
Quarters: 29-30; 51-53; 79-77; 105-97.
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