ANTIPOLO — Converge made sure to finish its PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup campaign on a winning note by pulling off a 136-122 victory over Blackwater in a battle of also-ran teams at the Ynares Center here, Saturday.
Both teams frankly had nothing to compete for but pride, and the FiberXers clearly wanted it more, putting together a strong fourth quarter even after losing import Donovan Smith after he fouled out, still with 9:36 remaining in the game.
Calvin Abueva sparked the pullaway from a narrow 100-96 lead, before Mikey Williams and Juan Gomez de Liano helped out as the crew unloaded 47 points in the said period on the way to ending their conference on a high.
Coach Delta Pineda & Co. finished with a 5-7 record, having won four of its last six games of the eliminations, although it wasn’t enough to save their campaign, which saw the talent-loaded crew lose five successive matches.
(C) PBA Images
“Sinabi ko sa kanila na treat this like a do-or-die game pa rin. Last game namin, kailangan pa rin naming magtrabaho,” said Pineda. “It doesn’t mean na last game, na wala na po kaming chance e magre-relax na po.”
Gomez de Liano led Converge with 25 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Justine Baltazar notched a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Abueva finished with 15 points while the quartet of Smith, Justin Arana, Archie Concepcion, and MJ Garcia chipped in 12 markers apiece in the win.
Arana, however, wasn’t able to finish the game after getting hurt at the 8:45-mark of the third, which was later found out to be a minor Achilles strain.
It was somehow a microcosm of the FiberXers’ woes in this conference, one of the reasons why they couldn’t find the right mix that works on the floor. But Pineda and his charges are charging as much to experience.
“Maybe we didn’t perform as expected. Siguro it’s all our fault talaga. We need to accept this kind of situation na nangyari sa amin. Nothing to do but recover, to focus on the future,” said the concurrent Pampanga vice-governor.
(C) PBA Images
Blackwater, on the other hand, finished its run with a disappointing 2-10 record as Coach Pat Aquino and the crew were denied a happy ending.
Also wasted by the loss was Robert Upshaw’s 45-point, 18-rebound effort as he tried to carry the load in a bid for a graceful exit after receiving little help from outside of Sedrick Barefield (20 points) and Abu Tratter (13 points).
The defeat resulted in the Bossing finishing dead-last at 13th, which means that they will take the lead in the race for the no. 1 pick for the Season 51 Draft.
The Scores:
Converge 136 – Gomez de Liano 25, Baltazar 17, Abueva 15, Smith 12, Arana 12, Garcia 12, Concepcion 12, Williams 9, Stickton 8, Muyang 4, Lepalam 4, Clemente 4, Policarpio 2.
Blackwater 122 – Upshaw 45, Barefield 20, Tratter 13, Zamar 8, Andrade 8, Austria 7, DiGregorio 5, Murrell 5, Altamirano 5, David 2, Una 2, Mallilin 2, Jopia 0, Guinto 0.
Quarterscores: 24-29, 59-58, 89-80, 136-122.
