ANTIPOLO – Converge took the scalp of another traditional contender following a 114-97 victory against Magnolia to gain a share of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup leadership, Friday at the Ynares Center here.
Still on a high from beating Barangay Ginebra prior to the league’s FIBA break, the FiberXers fought back from an eight-point halftime deficit with a massive 72-point explosion in the second half en route to completing the upset.
The crew, more importantly, clinched a quarterfinal berth as they improved to 6-2, in the process joining NLEX and Rain or Shine atop the standings.
Coincidentally, the Road Warriors and the Elasto Painters will be among their next four opponents–games that could define their placement in the Magic 8.
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“Marami pa po ‘tong mabibigat na laban namin,” said head coach Delta Pineda as he wanted his wards to remain grounded. “Siempre pangarap pa rin namin to get into the Top 4 para twice-to-beat. ‘Yun ang goal namin.”
Juan Gomez de Liano starred in the triumph with 27 points, seven rebounds, and five assists as he bannered the second-half surge. The 26-year-old guard shot a total of five shots from beyond the arcs, including a four-pointer.
Alec Stockton fired 23 points, while Justine Baltazar notched another double-double performance with 19 points and 14 rebounds, plus two steals.
Archie Concepcion supplied 11 points while Deschon Winston added 10 points on top of three rebounds and six assists as the two led the bench support.
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Their balanced attack outshone the career night of Zavier Lucero, who fired 31 points and nine rebounds with two blocks to lead the Hotshots.
Jerom Lastimosa made 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists while Mark Barroca and Javi Gomez de Liano added 10 apiece in the loss.
Coach LA Tenorio’s charges have now lost twice in the last three outings but will look for a quick bounce back against NLEX this Sunday in Montalban.
The Scores:
Converge 114 – Gomez de Liano 27, Stockton 23, Baltazar 19, Concepcion 11, Winston 10, Arana 9, Garcia 7, Muyang 6, Caralipio 2, Racal 0, R. Santos 0, Delos Santos 0, Javillonar 0.
Magnolia 97 – Lucero 31, Lastimosa 13, Barroca 10, Gomez de Liano 10, Laput 8, Eriobu 7, Lee 7, Dela Rosa 5, Koon 4, Sangalang 2.
Quarterscores: 19-27, 42-50, 78-77, 114-97.
