Maverick Ahanmisi lifted Converge past Terrafirma, taking a 97-84 victory, to end its two-game skid in the PBA Philippine Cup, Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The 30-year-old gunner finished with 17 points, 14 of which he made in the fourth quarter alone as he led the FiberXers’ late-game pull away en route back to the win column after suffering losses to MVP teams TNT and Meralco.
All of his five field goals came from beyond the arc, including one with 2:24 left that gave them an 86-81 lead — and the kickstarter to the finishing run.
Ahanmisi also collected eight rebounds and eight assists in a near triple-double performance as Converge improved to 2-3 in the standings.
“Mav’s a vet,” said head coach Jeff Cariaso of the seven-year pro. “So, he’s one of the guys that we are relying on heavily to carry us. So, with our young core, we want him to step up in all aspects, not just on the court.”
Mike DiGregorio top-scored for the FiberXers with 19 points as he also helped out in that fourth quarter attack, scoring 12 of his output there. He and Ahanmisi scored nine of their side’s last 11 points of the game.
David Murrell turned in a career-high outing with 15 points on a 6-of-8 clip from the field. Taylor Browne notched another twin-digit outing with 10 points as rookie big man Justin Arana had 10 as well, alongside 12 rebounds.
“We wanna be consistent,” said Cariaso after getting their second win. “I’ve learned, not just as a player but as a coach, that you gotta be able to get some wins in a row, get some wins together for you to have a chance.”
Converge will face the league-leading San Miguel Beer (3-0) next on Sunday, June 26, 6:30 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Joseph Gabayni, meanwhile, had 18 points and seven rebounds to lead Terrafirma, who remained winless after four games.
Aldrech Ramos had 15 points, while Juami Tiongson and Eric Camson made 13 points apiece in the loss that saw them fail to protect a 69-67 lead early in the final period — they actually led by as much as eight in the second period.
The Dyip will try to get their first win of the season versus the 2-1 Blackwater on Saturday, June 25, 5:15 p.m. also at the Ynares Center.
The Scores:
Converge 97 – DiGregorio 19, Ahanmisi 17, Murrell 15, Arana 10, Browne 10, Hill 9, Ambohot 8, Adamos 4, Ilagan 3, Stockton 1, Bulanadi 1, Tolomia 0, Lojera 0.
Terrafirma 84 – Gabayni 18, Ramos 15, Tiongson 13, Camson 13, Munzon 10, Balagasay 6, Calvo 4, Mina 3, Gomez de Liaño 2, Cahilig 0, Batiller 0.
Quarterscores: 17-21, 43-42, 63-62, 97-84.
—
All PBA games stream live on GigaPlay. Download it now on Android or IOS.
The second game of each gameday is also live-streamed on SMART Sports.
