CONVERGE is not making excuses for the early foul trouble that hounded Justin Arana and Alec Stockton in the team’s 105-85 loss to Barangay Ginebra in their PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal game on Christmas Day.
Coach Delta Pineda said it’s for the FiberXers to make an adjustment on the way games are being called especially since its playoff time.
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Arana and Stockton already had four and three fouls, respectively, by halftime, and yet the FiberXers stayed on top, 42-41.
“Panay complain nga ng mga bata (officiating). (But) I told them tigilan ninyo na 'yang reklamo, wala na tayong magagawa,” said Pineda after coaching in his first playoff game in the league.
Arana and Stockton, considered among the cornerstones of the young franchise, ended up with five fouls each, and came short of producing numbers expected of them.
The 6-foot-8 Arana finished with six points, four rebounds, and six assists after averaging 15.7 points and 9.5 rebounds in the eliminations, while Stockton had 12 points and two assists, just below his average of 14.6 points and 3.7 assists.
Pineda said the FiberXers had difficulty adjusting to the officiating, a factor that he said the team will have to take into consideration come their do-or-die game with the Kings on Saturday also at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Good thing, according to him, the FiberXers own twice-to-beat advantage after managing to finish in the Top Four by the end of the eliminations.
“Before naman sinabi ko sa mga bata na blessing na ibinigay sa atin itong twice to beat,” said Pineda. “And hindi ibibigay sa atin ng maluwag ito (quarterfinals series), kailangan pa rin nating pag-trabahuhan.”
Converge is seeking to make the semifinals for the first time in its three-year franchise history in the league.
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