Converge survived TNT, 107-103, to end its PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup campaign on a high note, Wednesday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Deschon Winston coolly canned both of his free throws with 10.7 seconds left to play – more than enough to ice the game.
Before that, the Tropang Giga had rallied from 16 points down and got within two, 105-103, behind Roger Pogoy.
The FiberXers ended their conference with a 2-9 record, and will now set their sights on what should be a busy offseason ahead for the young team.
“Hopefully mag-improve yung mga players namin and hopefully, swertehin kami sa drafting,” offered head coach Aldin Ayo post-game.
Aljun Melecio top-scored for the crew with 17 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
And he led the second group’s spark after starters Justin Arana, Alec Stockton, and Bryan Santos were all saddled by foul trouble.
Arana and Santos still contributed 15 apiece, but those who came off the bench provided a much bigger impact in delivering the morale-boosting win.
Winston finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, while fellow rookie Pat Maagdenberg provided the surprise spark with 12 points.
“Our second group won it for us. I’ve been telling them to pay harder than the second group,” said the young bench tactician.
Calvin Oftana, on the other hand, had 33 points.
Pogoy made 29 for the Tropang Giga, which fell to 5-5 following the loss that also delayed their quarterfinal trip.
Kim Aurin had 13 points, while Glenn Khobuntin added 11 in the rally that fell short.
TNT missed Kelly Williams reportedly due to back problems.
The Tropang Giga are currently in a four-way tie in fifth with Rain or Shine, Meralco, and Terrafirma in the standings.
They will try to seal its place in the next round against current no. 4 seed Magnolia (5-4) on Sunday, May 5, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Scores:
Converge 107 – Melecio 17, Arana 15, Santos 15, Winston 13, Maagdenberg 12, Fornilos 8, Delos Santos 7, Stockton 4, Andrade, Nieto 0.
TNT 103 – Oftana 33, Pogoy 29, Aurin 13, Khobuntin 11, Ponferrada 7, Castro 4, B.Ganuelas-Rosser 2, Ebona 2, Varilla 2, Reyes 0, Montalbo 0.
Quarterscores: 31-31, 57-52, 83-77, 107-103.
