Converge stayed in the hunt for a top-four finish in the PBA Philippine Cup after grinding out a 107-95 overtime victory against NLEX on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The win allowed the FiberXers to recover from back-to-back losses and close the elimination round with a 7-4 record.
After a tightly contested regulation, Converge took control in the extra period, outscoring the Road Warriors 17-5 to seal the win.
(C) PBA Images
The result keeps the FiberXers in third place behind Rain or Shine and San Miguel, though their final seeding will depend on the outcomes of the remaining elimination-round games.
Justine Baltazar anchored Converge’s effort with a career-high 25 points and 24 rebounds, while Juan Gomez de Liaño delivered a triple-double of 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Their performances proved crucial as several teams remain in contention for the top-four spots, including TNT, Meralco, Magnolia, and Barangay Ginebra.
NLEX, playing without Robert Bolick due to his national team duties in the SEA Games in Bangkok, slipped to a 6-5 record.
The Road Warriors forced overtime on a buzzer-beating four-pointer by Jonel Policarpio at the end of regulation, briefly keeping their hopes alive.
Converge, however, quickly seized momentum in overtime, opening the period with an 8-0 run behind Justin Arana, MJ Garcia, and Gomez de Liaño.
(C) PBA Images
NLEX struggled to respond, allowing the FiberXers to pull away and secure the victory.
Despite leading for much of the game, the Road Warriors faltered down the stretch.
Baltazar credited his team’s composure in the closing moments.
“Mahirap talagang kalaban ang NLEX, ayaw nilang magpatalo. Mabuti na hindi kami bumitaw hanggang dulo,” he said.
The Scores:
Converge 107– Baltazar 25, Gomez de Liano 20, Arana 19, Muyang 12, Concepcion 11, Garcia 6, Stockton 5, Manuel 5, Winston 4, Racal 0, Eguilos 0, Caralipio 0, Clemente 0, Delos Santos 0
NLEX 95- Alas 19, Torres 16, Nieto 12, Policarpio 11, Bahio 11, Ramirez 10, Onwubere 7, Mocon 4, Rodger 3, Fajardo 2, Amer 0, Herndon 0
Quarterscores: 18-17; 35-41; 62-67; 90-90 (OT); 107-95
