ANTIPOLO – Converge maintained its top form in its penultimate game of the eliminations, defeating Blackwater, 127-109, on Sunday in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center.
Jordan Heading scored 22 points while Justine Baltazar had a PBA career-high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds, three assists and two shotblocks in the blowout win - the FiberXers' eighth in 11 games.
That enabled the FiberXers to climb all the way to solo second place in a crowded PBA leaderboard ahead of their important game to cap off the eliminations against San Miguel on Friday.
The win, however, came at a cost as Justin Arana left the game at the end of the third quarter due to a hyperextended knee.
READ Arana injury a dampener as Converge closes in on Top Two
Blackwater fell to 2-8, its hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals dashed, most likely for good.
Converge coach Franco Atienza, however, said their defense still left a lot to be desired after giving up 34 points to Blackwater import George King. That's one mental note he's taking to the game against the Beermen.
“Our emphasis was to tight up on defense and gladly, nag-respond naman ‘yung guys namin. Pero make no mistake, ‘yung 109 points, mataas pa rin ‘yun. Kailangan naming i-limit ‘yung kabilang team. Kailangan namin ‘yun sa San Miguel, very important game sa kanila ‘yan. We have to make some stops,” said Atienza.
Heading lit up with 3-for-5 from threes, and drained Converge’s first four-pointer of the conference to lead the FiberXers in scoring.
Cheick Diallo had 20 points and 18 rebounds for Converge, which has now won six of its last seven matches during the final push to the quarterfinals.
Converge has by now already equalled its franchise record for wins, which it set in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup with Aldin Ayo as head coach, Quincy Miller as import, and Jeron Teng, Maverick Ahanmisi, and Aljun Melecio among the locals, according to PBA statistics chief Fidel Mangonon.
The scores:
Converge 127 – Heading 22, Baltazar 20, Diallo 20. Stockton 19, Winston 10, Delos Santos 10, Nieto 8, Santos 8, Arana 7, Racal 3, Caralipio 0, Andrade 0, Fornilos 0.
Blackwater 109 – King 34, Tungcab 20, Chua 16, David 14, Kwekuteye 10, Casio 6, Corteza 4, Ponferada 3, Guinto 2, Ayonayon 0, Ilagan 0, Jopia 0, Montalbo 0.
Quarters: 33-26; 70-56; 97-88; 127-109.
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