Jamaal Franklin put on an historic showing as Converge added to the struggles of Rain or Shine following a 112-98 decimation to regain sole leadership of the PBA Governors’ Cup, Thursday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The former NBA cager dazzled with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 15 assists without a turnover, registering not only the first-ever triple-double in franchise history but also the most dimes by a player in the club’s young existence.
Twelve of his points came in the third quarter, where the FiberXers scored 32 points to pull away from the Elasto Painters for good on the way to collecting their fourth win as many games — and sending NLEX to solo second.
“Laro talaga niya eh. It’s his game. Complete player. He can shoot, he can orchestrate the offense, he’s very unselfish, and he loves to crash the boards also when needed,” said head coach Aldin Ayo of Franklin.
Franklin’s playmaking wits have greatly helped Converge in deploying a balanced attack, where six players finished in double figures.
Justin Arana tallied a career second-best 21 points and eight rebounds. Jeron Teng registered 17 points, Jerrick Balanza made 12 points, Abu Tratter supplied 11 markers and 10 boards, while Alec Stockton added 10.
“‘Yung mga ganyang performance ng players, nakukuha nila yan sa mga extra nila eh. Not necessarily during practice, but we always encourage them to do the maintenance, and after practice, nag-skills pa tong mga ‘to,” said Ayo.
“Sila gumagawa niyan para sa sarili nila eh. Nandito lang kami para mag-guide sa kanila,” added the youthful bench tactician.
Converge will face TNT next on Wednesday, February 8, 3 p.m. at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, hoping to stretch its unblemished run to five.
Michael Qualls, meanwhile, had 34 points and nine rebounds for a Rain or Shine side that remains winless after three games.
The Elasto Painters finished the game without head coach Yeng Guiao, who was thrown out with 1:16 left in the third for incurring his second technical foul.
RoS will look to end its miseries but the road won’t be any easier as Ginebra will be its next opponent on Sunday. 6:45 p.m. also at the Big Dome.
The Scores:
Converge 112 – Franklin 25, Arana 21, Teng 17, Balanza 12, Tratter 11, Stockton 10, Ahanmisi 7, Murrell 5, Tolomia 2, Racal 2, Guinto 0, Ambohot 0.
Rain or Shine 98 – Qualls 34, Nambatac 16, Mamuyac 8, Demusis 8, Santillan 7, Ponferrada 6, Torres 6, Nieto 6, Caracut 3, Asistio 2, Belga 2, Ildefonso 0, Borboran 0, Yap 0, Clarito 0.
Quarterscores: 29-21, 52-48, 84-69, 112-98
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
