ANTIPOLO – There’s no finger-pointing within Converge after the young crew lost due to another endgame slip-up Wednesday.
FiberXers coach Delta Pineda refuses to pin the blame on anyone, not even Alec Stockton for committing a foul on Don Trollano in the dying seconds, which ultimately enabled San Miguel to escape with the 103-99 decision.
“Let’s give Alec a chance,” was the incumbent Pampanga vice governor’s plea when asked about the play, shortly after the match at the Ynares Center here.
That call came with 27.2 seconds left, allowing the Beermen to take the 101-99 lead after Trollano went perfect from the line. And it brought memories of their stinging collapse versus Ginebra during the last Philippine Cup quarterfinals.
In that game, Stockton attempted to contest Jeremiah Gray’s shot from the right corner, but went too hard and got whistled instead.
Gray would then sink all three of his free throws to force overtime. Converge eventually lost, 99-98, and bowed out — that, after securing a twice-to-beat incentive in the playoffs’ first round as the no. 4 seed in the eliminations.
Nearly three months after that heartbreaker, the FiberXers found themselves in an eerily similar situation, ending up with the same result.
They have now lost three straight in the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup after a triumphant debut, wherein they came from behind to beat Macau.
That foul on Trollano was crucial as it changed the game’s complexion. But Pineda, again, isn’t putting Stockton at fault.
After all, the two-way guard out of FEU was one of the reasons why they were able to keep in step with the traditional powerhouse. He was responsible for tying the game at 99-all when he nailed a four with 39.6 seconds left.
Save for that mistake, Stockton finished with 17 points, three rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a block, all without a turnover.
“Yung mga ganoong situation, hindi natin puwedeng isisi sa kanya. It’s part of the game, talagang sumabit eh. Pero ‘yung mga important score din, nag-deliver naman si Alec,” said Pineda. “Huwag nating i-blame doon sa bata ‘yun.
“‘Yung maturity ng bata, ‘yun ‘yung hinihintay namin. Every conference naman, nakikita ko ‘yung pagiging mature ni Alec. Even in the crucial part, nandoon pa rin. ‘Yun lang ‘yung foul lang talaga, pero breaks of the game.”
As for the loss itself, Pineda admitted their prolonged skid is alarming, but chose to look at the silver lining instead.
“For us, this is maybe the best game for the team, at least ‘yung chemistry nandoon na especially on our assists. We had 25 assists,” he said.
“We fought hard, breaks of the game lang sa huli. Even other players contributed, especially Mikey [Williams]. Unti-unti, naaanuhan natin.”
#WATCH: BEST GAME FOR OUR TEAM 🏀
Converge head coach Delta Pineda sticks to the silver lining in their loss to San Miguel as he is starting to see the chemistry form#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/aIri1VrK15
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA50 pic.twitter.com/Bl5jGK2P7t
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 25, 2026
