Converge fought back from 18 points down and sent Phoenix crashing anew, 116-105, to post back-to-back wins for the first time in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup, Thursday evening at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Alec Stockton, Justine Baltazar, and Jordan Heading came together for the crucial 9-0 run toward the 104-94 lead with 3:38 left that put the FiberXers in control for good, eventually chalking up their fourth win in six outings.
“We give credit to our guys,” acting head coach Franco Atienza said. “We just stuck on, we didn’t panic. We returned to how we want to run our system.”
Six players finished in double figures in the come-from-behind victory, with the lefty Heading standing out with 21 points alongside three rebounds, six assists, and five steals on his way to earning Best Player of the Game honors.
Cheick Diallo produced 21 points as well and 16 rebounds, as he was key in applying the finishing touches down the stretch to seal the result.
Deschon Winston and Bryan Santos supplied 16 points apiece while Baltazar did a yeoman’s job in collecting rebounds with 13 aside from his six points.
The victory — and their mini win streak — should serve as a huge confidence booster for the young team heading into their matchup against Barangay Ginebra on Saturday, December 21, at the Batangas City Coliseum.
Wasted by Phoenix’s collapse, on the other hand, was the 30-point, 18-rebound effort of Donovan Smith. Ditto with the 20-point showing of RJ Jazul.
Tyler Tio made 13 points, while Jason Perkins — once again saddled with foul trouble — and Ricci Rivero added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Fuel Masters will now head into their holiday break before returning to action on January 7, where they’ll face Terrafirma at the Philsports Arena.
The Scores:
Converge 116 – Heading 21, Diallo 21, Winston 16, Santos 16, Stockton 14, Andrade 11, Arana 6, Baltazar 6, Racal 5, Delos Santos 0, Caralipio 0.
Phoenix 105 – Smith 30, Jazul 20, Tio 13, Perkins 12, Rivero 11, Tuffin 8, Verano 4, Garcia 3, Soyud 2, Manganti 2, Salado 0, Alejandro 0, Muyang 0, Ular 0, Daves 0.
Quarterscores: 15-30, 48-54, 87-80, 116-105.
