GAMES TOMORROW
(Ynares Center, Montalban)
5 p.m. – NLEX vs. Blackwater
7:30 p.m. – Phoenix vs. TNT
ISOLATED on the left wing, Converge playmaker Alec Stockton took a series of crossovers before firing and booming in a three-pointer against the outstretched arm of Rain or Shine counterpart Gian Mamuyac last night.
Thanks largely to a fiery fourth quarter flurry, the FiberXers carved out a 107-97 victory over the Elasto Painters for their third straight win in the PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
Stockton looked straight into Mamuyac’s eyes after knocking down the back-breaking triple that made it a 101-92 game with only 2:13 to go.
While four of his charges scored in double-digits, Converge interim coach Franco Atienza is convinced their defense was a big factor in a big follow-up to a 100-94 triumph over TNT last week and jacked their card to 4-2.
“I want to talk about our defense. Before this game, remember we were up against the No. 1 scoring team sa liga, bar none. Iyong pace na inilalaro nila sobrang bilis. They dictated the tempo, especially in the first half,” Atienza said. “Sobrang bilis ng game. I’m just glad our players were able to turn it around.
“We resisted the temptation to go fast. Kumbaga, we tried to control the pace and if you have that size and you play up and down with a fast tempo, you cannot do that. Hindi ka mananalo sa Rain or Shine,” he added.
Schonny Winston produced 24 points, three rebounds, and five assists for the FiberXers while Stockton chimed in 24 markers, three boards, and two dimes.
The imposing frontcourt duo of Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar also shone, with the former tallying 18 points, 17 caroms, and six feeds and the latter posting 13 and 22.
Rain or Shine came off a stunning 128-116 ripping of defending champion Meralco last Sunday and slipped to 2-3 in the import-less meet.
Converge raced to an early 20-7 start but trailed 53-54 at the half.
The FiberXers recovered and grabbed an 84-78 separation heading into the final 12 minutes, which they protected the rest of the way despite repeated comeback tries by the Painters.
Leonard Santillan paced Rain or Shine with 26 points and six rebounds while Mamuyac had 25 and four.
Adrian Nocum and Keith Datu also got 11 each for the Painters.
