EXPERIENCE simply prevailed.
It’s how Converge coach Franco Atienza saw the team’s close 98-96 loss to TNT Saturday night that snapped its four-game winning run in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
READ: Surging TNT blanks Converge late to take fourth straight win
The Tropang Giga played steady down the stretch of the tightly-fought game at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, holding the FiberXers scoreless in the final 4:46.
In that stretch, they went on a 7-0 run going home including a fade away jumper by import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson that put them on top for good.
The reigning Governors’ Cup champions also denied Alec Stockton the game-tying basket in the final 23 seconds and then forced a shot clock violation on the FiberXers 14 seconds later to seal their fourth straight win and take a 4-2 record.
“Iba talaga kapag nakaharap ka ng beterano,” said Atienza of TNT.
“They’re not a champion team for nothing. Whatever happens kasi sa dulo pupunta pa rin sa mga beterano. And yun ang meron sila,” he added. “As good as the team that we have, iba pa rin kapag meron kang experience lalo na yung closing out games.”
Shooting guard RR Pogoy led all TNT locals with 22 points, highlighted by 5-of-9 shooting from the three-point arc, while Rey Nambatac and Calvin Oftana combined for 25 points.
Hollis Jefferson, the two-time Best Import winner, finished with a team-high 31 points and 11 rebounds.
TNT’s heart and soul Jayson Castro only had two points, but was a stable presence at the TNT backcourt down the stretch.
“We have good guys, we have Alec (Stockton), we have Justin (Baltazar), we have Schonny (Winston), we have Justin (Arana), we have (Jordan) Heading. Pero iba pa rin kapag nakatapat ka ng Jayson Castro, nakatapat ka ng Pogoy, nakatapat ka ng Oftana. Iba prin yun,” said Atienza.
Although the loss came on his birthday, Atienza said the experience of going toe-to-toe against a champion team like TNT in a game of playoff atmosphere is certainly something the young FiberXers welcomed in their growth as a team.
“Kailangan naming matuto. And part ito ng growing stage nila (FiberXers),” said Franco, who also lauded the effort of Converge to fight back from as much as an early 12-point deficit.
"We appreciate this kind of game. Dapat talaga matuto kami. Mas maganda lang sana nanalo kami.”
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