Jamaal Franklin made a good account of himself in his PBA debut after leading Converge past Terrafirma in a high-scoring affair, 130-115, to score a brace in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup, Thursday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Taking the place of Ethan Rusbatch, the former NBA cager finished with a full line of 42 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, a steal, and a block to help the FiberXers seize early leadership in the team standings.
“Jamaal played well. But of course, he’s still adjusting. Hopefully, ‘yung mga susunod na practices namin, he’ll be able to adjust doon sa sistema namin. But he played a good game,” said head coach Aldin Ayo.
Maverick Ahanmisi, the star of their 30-point mauling of NorthPort with 29 points the last time out, led the locals with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Jeron Teng and Justin Arana continued their solid play, too, as the frontcourt tandem finished with identical numbers of 15 points and six rebounds.
The two joined forces with Franklin in turning things around in the third quarter, where Converge unloaded a roaring 26-7 rally to wipe out a seven-point deficit and make it a 94-82 lead with under four minutes to go in the said period.
Abu Tratter contributed 10 points and nine rebounds, with a steal and a block each to his tally. Alec Stockton also scored 10 markers as all but two of the 12 players fielded scored at least three points in the victory.
“Good thing ‘yung mga locals nakapag-convert sa mga tira nila,” said Ayo as his wards as a whole shot 50-percent from the floor, including 16 triples.
Converge (2-0) will now shift its sights on Sunday’s big game as it takes on the debuting Magnolia at 4:30 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Leading the Dyip, on the other hand, was Jordan Wiliams, who finished with a game-high 46 points and six rebounds in the defeat.
Juami Tiongson made 18 points, Alex Cabagnot had 11 points and six dimes, while new acquisition Kevin Ferrer and Aldrech Ramos added 10 each.
Terrafirma’s loss also spoiled the return of Ed Daquioag, who was sidelined for seven months due to a scary ankle injury back in the Philippine Cup.
The Dyip will next face Meralco on Saturday, 4:30 also in Antipolo.
The Scores:
Converge 130 – Franklin 42, Ahanmisi 16, Arana 15, Teng 15, Stockton 10, Browne 9, Racal 6, Balanza 4, Murrell 3, Tratter 3, Ambohot 0, Ebona 0, Tolomia 0.
Terrafirma 115 – Williams 46, Tiongson 18, Cabagnot 11, Ferrer 10, Ramos 10, Camcon 7, Cahilig 3, Gabayni 3, Mina 3, Gomez de Liano 2, Daquioag 0, Calvo 0.
Quarterscores: 36-33, 68-71, 100-92, 130-115
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
