ANTIPOLO — Magnolia posted back-to-back victories in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup once more after sending Converge crashing back down to earth by way of a 106-94 result on Sunday night at the Ynares Center here.
Coming off a 120-101 rout of an all-Filipino San Miguel, the Hotshots built a good lead early before pulling away late, winning two straight for the first time since beating Macau and Terrafirma following a 0-3 start.
With the result, the traditional contenders improved to 4-4 after bursting the bubble of a FiberXers team that’s fresh off a big win against a hard-luck Titan Ultra, which snapped a harrowing five-game losing skid for the young crew.
Unfortunately, though, Converge couldn’t get a winning run going. But for Magnolia, the team forced a tie with the Beermen at the no. 7 spot of the team standings with a similar 4-4 record, pushing itself into the playoff picture as well.
(C) PBA Images
“Going into this game, I challenged the players, my team, to concentrate on making stops and to play solid halfcourt defense,” offered head coach LA Tenorio, whose team has now won four of its last six outings.
“We know Converge can score with the talent that they have. And I challenged my players to treat the game like a playoff. It’s them or us. Maganda naman ang resulta,” the former star playmaker turned bench tactician added.
Clint Chapman showed the way with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Zav Lucero supplied 17 points and 14 rebounds, as he braved through a hard foul by opposing wing Calvin Abueva early in the fourth that led to an F1 infraction.
Rome Dela Rosa supplied 13 points and six rebounds, while sophomore PG Jerom Lastimosa chipped in 10 as the starters carried much of the load.
The quartet was key in their big third-quarter assault, which saw them go on a hot run toward a 62-47 lead. They’d even push that to 20, 84-64, barely three minutes into the fourth — a wall that their foes couldn’t take down.
(C) PBA Images
Converge did cut the gap to as close as seven, 98-91, with Juan Gomez de Liano leading a last-ditch comeback attempt. However, Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, Chapman, and Dela Rosa put together the closing run to seal the deal.
Gomez de Liano scored 16 of his 22 points to front the FiberXers, who fell to 2-6 and are at 11th in the standings, just above Blackwater and the Black Knights.
Alec Stockton made 19 points. Justin Arana tallied 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Archie Concepcio added 14, as Coach Delta Pineda leaned on his locals after benching Kylor Kelley for a significant amount of time.
In fact, the former G-Leaguer was no longer part of their closing five. He played for a total of 26 minutes and 19 seconds, and had seven points on 3-of-3 shooting, six rebounds, a steal, and two blocks against only one turnover.
The Scores:
Magnolia 106 – Chapman 22, Lucero 17, Dela Rosa 13, Lastimosa 10, Koon 9, Barroca 8, Sangalang 7, Lee 7, Alfaro 6, Andrada 3, Verano 2, Gomez de Liaño 2.
Converge 94 – Gomez de Liaño 22, Stockton 19, Arana 15, Concepcion 14, Garcia 8, Kelley 7, Baltazar 6, Williams 2, Abueva 1, Policarpio 0.
Quarterscores: 22-15, 49-39, 74-64, 106-94.
