Alec Stockton took over in the endgame as Converge outlasted Meralco, 105-97, to further boost its quarterfinal chances in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup, Wednesday evening at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The athletic playmaker led all locals with 27 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter alone. He also scored seven of their last nine points to pull the FiberXers up from a 97-96 deficit with less than two minutes left to play.
“I really just want to give my best for my team to win, [and] qualify for the playoffs. That’s something that we missed last conference,” he said.
He nailed the tough go-ahead stepback trey against Bong Quinto, then attacked the defense of Chris Banchero for a half-spin jumper from midrange.
That gave his team the 101-97 advantage approaching the final minute.
Stockton then widened the gap to seven through a perfect trip to the foul line – off a foul from Banchero in a heated encounter between the two that led to a technical foul for the youngster – with 36.6 ticks left to virtually seal the deal.
The FEU product shot 53.3-percent from the field, and also collected a career-high 11 rebounds for his first PBA double-double to star in the triumph that brought Converge back above .500 with a 5-4 record in Group A.
As it stands, Converge is third in the group, sitting on top of the 4-4 Magnolia, who will be its next and final assignment of the eliminations on Monday.
“Parang one finger out of the ten fingers, one finger is there. Medyo maaga pa eh, marami pang pwedeng mangyari. We will savor this win and then we will think of (Magnolia) tomorrow,” interim head coach Franco Atienza said.
Top-scoring for the FiberXers was new import Jalen Jones, who finished with a game-high 32 points on 34 attempts and 10 rebounds for a winning debut.
Justin Arana chipped in 12 points to help the squad notch its third straight win. It is the team’s first winning streak since a 4-0 start in the 2023 Governors’ Cup with Jamal Franklin, per league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III.
Converge, furthermore, avenged the 116-88 beatdown it absorbed from the very same team last September 4 with the character victory.
On the other hand, Allen Durham had 25 points, nine rebounds, and six assists to lead Meralco.
The Bolts lost for the second time in three games and fell to 6-3, although they remain at no. 2 in the group behind the 7-1 TNT.
The loss also wasted the conference-high effort of rookie CJ Cansino, who finished with 21 points. He gave the Bolts the 97-96 lead after going 3-for-3 from the line with 1:50 left, although they couldn’t protect as much.
Chris Newsome had 14 points, although he fouled out with 2:41 left to play after being called for a blocking foul on a driving Stockton.
The absence that proved costly for the team as it lost its best defender on the floor.
Quinto had 12 points, while Banchero added 10 for Meralco.
The Bolts will look to end their group stage campaign on a high note versus Terrafirma on Saturday.
The Scores:
Converge 105 – Jones 32, Stockton 27, Arana 12, Winston 8, Caralipio 8, Delos Santos 7, Santos 6, Ambohot 3, Nieto 2, Melecio 0, Andrade 0, Vigan-Fleming 0, Fornilos 0.
Meralco 97 – Durham 25, Cansino 21, Newsome 14, Quinto 12, Banchero 10, Caram 6, Hodge 5, Bates 2, Almazan 2, Jose 0, Mendoza 0, Rios 0.
Quarterscores: 29-30, 51-53, 79-77, 105-97
