Not even the Christmas spirit stopped Comverge from giving Meralco a harsh 110-94 whipping to extend its winning streak to four games in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The FiberXers raced to a 22-6 start before breaking away for good in the second quarter toward their sixth win in eight outings, in the process gaining a share of the third spot with Hong Kong Eastern in the standings.
“Maybe we were lucky, they were not in their best form although they really competed now. Medyo na-challenge din kami,” said acting head coach Franco Atienza as they faced a team that continues to be hounded by injuries.
Jordan Heading starred in the win with 30 points on a 4-of-6 clip from three, six rebounds, and eight assists and went on to earn Player of the Game honors.
The lefty guard was crucial as well in restoring order for Converge in the fourth quarter when the opposition got to within 13, nailing a trey that sparked a run toward a 94-74 lead approaching the game’s final seven minutes.
“I think just the additional time we’ve spent together we’ve been able to develop our chemistry a little bit more. We’ve been able to identify our roles a little bit better, and we’ve been able to play our roles,” Heading said.
Cheick Diallo flirted with a 20-20 outing with 24 points and 19 rebounds, while two-time MPBL MVP Justine Baltazar submitted his best scoring outing to date with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field alongside seven rebounds.
Deschon Winston made 11 points while Alec Stockton added 10 in the win that saw the crew shoot 52.8-percent from the floor behind 25 assists.
The FiberXers spoiled as well the return of Chris Banchero and Allein Maliksi for Meralco after spending some time on the sidelines due to injuries.
Now they await the comeback of Raymond Almazan due to a sprained ankle, which he said he suffered during their game versus Terrafirma. Also in sick bay as of the moment are young guns CJ Cansino and Brandon Bates.
Yet Almazan did make his presence felt in the match, figuring in a verbal exchange with Diallo during the fourth quarter in a heated encounter.
Cooler heads prevailed, though, and Converge remained composed on its way to taking the scalp of another perennial contender this conference — it beat Ginebra just last Saturday in Batangas in a 17-point comeback.
The returning Akil Mitchell, sporting a face mask, top-scored for the Bolts with 29 points and 18 rebounds in the loss, now their second in a row.
Bong Quinto made 23 points while Cliff Hodge added 10 markers as the Philippine Cup champs couldn’t bounce back from their losses to Blackwater — and to the Heo Ung-led Busan KCC Egis in the East Asia Super League.
The Scores:
Converge 110 – Heading 30, Diallo 24, Baltazar 16, Winston 11, Stockton 10, Arana 7, Andrada 5, Racal 3, Delos Santos 2, Santos 2, Fornillos 0, Nieto 0, Ambohot 0, Caralipio 0, Javillonar 0.
Meralco 94 – Mitchell 29, Quinto 23, Hodge 10, Newsome 9, Banchero 6, Maliksi 5, Reyson 3, Pascual 3, Black 2, Rios 2, Caram 2, Torres 0.
Quarterscores: 26-20, 58-41, 85-66, 110-94.
