CONVERGE scored the most lopsided win so far for the season by blowing Terrafirma away, while San Miguel had to grind out against Phoenix in Wednesday night’s twin bill in the PBA Governors Cup.
The FiberXers leaned on the 46-point explosion of import Scotty Hopson to whip the Dyip, 127-95, even as the Beermen needed a strong finishing kick in repulsing the Fuel Masters, 111-107, behind the monster game of June Mar Fajardo and the huge four-pointer of CJ Perez in the stretch run.
The loss by the Dyip spoiled the debuts of Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle in a Terrafirma jersey, while San Miguel missed the services of Marcio Lassiter (stomach flu) and the injured Simon Enciso.
Here are the takeaways from Wednesday night’s games at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
1.FAJARDO KICKS OFF STRONG BID FOR 9TH MVP AWARD – The 6-foot-10 Fajardo was nothing but dominant against the Fuel Masters as he dropped 37 points and 24 rebounds in the Beermen’s hard-earned win. The product of University of Cebu already had 21 points and 14 rebounds by halftime, setting the tone for San Miguel’s strong start. His impressive showing to start the season came just days after he was awarded a record eight MVP award during the annual Leo Awards.
2.HOPSON IMPRESSES IN PBA DEBUT – Hopson obviously pulled his punches when he first played for the FiberXers during the Kadayawan Festival basketball tournament in Davao. When the real war began, the import showed his real stuff as he torched Terrafirma for 46 points including a perfect 3-of-3 from 4-point range. He could have actually breached the 50-point mark in his league debut, but interim coach Franco Atienza decided to pull him out halfway through the final quarter of the 32-point blowout. He also added eight rebounds and three assists while shooting 18-of-24 from the field.
3.CONVERGE OFF TO A STRONG START AFTER A WOEFUL SEASON – The FiberXers turned things around right away this season by posting its largest winning margin in its young franchise history. The 47 points they scored in the third quarter was also a franchise best, while the 127 total points were the most for the team since a 129-132 overtime loss against Meralco in the 2023 Governors’ Cup. And to think Converge finished with a 3-19 (win-loss) record the entire Season 48 to end up owning the No. 1 overall pick in the recent rookie draft which it used to select big man Justine Baltazar.
4.STANDHARDINGER, PRINGLE LOSE FIRST GAME FOR DYIP – It wasn’t the warm welcome the former Barangay Gineba duo expected in their first game with Terrafirma. What was a close game in the first half turned into a rout in the third quarter as Converge went on a scoring rampage. Pringle finished with 19 points and was 2-of-3 from the four-point line, while Standhardinger added 17. Still the effort of the two players acquired in a trade with the Kings for Isaac Go, Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt, and the No. 3 overall pick in the last draft were not enough to save the day for the Dyip.
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