CONVERGE FiberX bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to Meralco last Friday, edging Phoenix Super LPG, 92-83, to barge into the win column in the PBA Philippine Cup at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Alec Stockton led a balanced scoring attack for the FiberXers with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field, six rebounds and two blocks in almost 30 minutes of action.
Stockton had plenty of support.

Schonny Winston added 14 points, eight rebounds and two steals, Bryan Santos contributed 12 points and Justin Arana had 10 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

Justine Baltazar also stepped up for the FiberXers as he chipped in seven markers, 16 boards, six dimes and two blocks.

Only two players managed to score in double figures for the Fuel Masters, with Kai Ballungay and Tyler Tio leading the losing cause.

Ballungay finished with a double-double performance of 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting, and 12 rebounds while Tio added 13 points and three assists.

Jayjay Alejandro and Kent Salado contributed eight points each and Kenneth Tuffin had seven points.

Simon Camacho, RR Garcia and Ricci Rivero chipped in five points each.

Converge appeared in control with a 90-73 lead with just 3:49 left on the clock. But Alejandro sparked a Phoenix rally, scoring six straight points to trim the deficit to 79-90 with 2:25 remaining.

The FiberXers also missed six consecutive free throws– four of them by Arana–allowing Phoenix to stay within striking distance.

Fortunately for Converge, the Fuel Masters ran out of gas in the final minutes.

Meanwhile, Bong Quinto of Meralco was named the first PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week in the PBA Philippine Cup.

Quinto averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists during the period of April 4 to 6, earning the unanimous nod of the men and women regularly covering the PBA beat.

“Kailangan ko lang magstep-up sa ibang aspect ng laro ko,” said Quinto, who edged San Miguel Beer’s CJ Perez, Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero and Meralco rookie Kurt Reysonfor the award.

The 30-year-old forward won the weekly honor for the second time this season, joining NorthPort’s Joshua Munzon and TNT’s Calvin Oftana.

Quinto’s previous Player of the Week plum was ironically in the first week of the Commissioner’s Cup in early-December when the Bolts likewise opened that conference with a 2-0 record.

The scores:

Converge (92) — Stockton 18, Winston 14, B. Santos 12, Arana 10, Baltazar 9, Nermal 7, M. Garcia 6, Racal 5, Caralipio 5, Delos Santos 2, Corpuz 2, Ambohot 2, Suerte 0, R. Santos 0.
Phoenix (83) — Ballungay 15, Tio 13, Salado 8, Alejandro 8, Tuffin 7, Rivero 6, Camacho 6, R. Garcia 6, Soyud 5, Ular 4, Verano 3, Jazul 1, Manganti 1, Daves 0.
Quarterscores: 19-24, 44-38, 67-57, 92-83.

Games Wednesday:

(Rizal Memorial Coliseum)
5 p.m.– Magnolia vs. Converge
7:30 p.m.– Meralco vs. San Miguel

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya