Barely escaping
The collapse they endured against the same team in the previous conference was certainly in the minds of the Converge FiberXers on Wednesday as a huge lead—against Terrafirma, again—almost disappeared during the final seconds.
Good thing for the FiberXers that Justine Baltazar’s block and a last-second miss by Maverick Ahanmisi on the other end prevented a repeat of that bitter implosion as Converge held on to trim the Dyip, 105-103, in the PBA Governors’ Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“If we have not lost that game, we would have made the playoffs,” Baltazar said, recounting that Commissioner’s Cup loss as the FiberXers rose to 2-0 in Group A behind Baltazar’s big play and Justin Arana’s 31 points and 10 rebounds that overcame import Jalen Hudson’s struggles.
The Converge import was good for only two points, and because of that, the FiberXers nearly put a 16-point lead to waste as the Dyip, whose comeback against the NLEX Road Warriors three nights earlier fell short, tried to mount another rally.
Behind import Justin Strings and Juami Tiongson, Terrafirma got to within two points and almost had a chance to tie it when Tiongson found Aljon Mariano underneath in what looked like an open layup.
Baltazar, however, came through with the block to keep the scoreline, which turned out to be the final score.
Racking up wins
“We really wanted to get back at Terrafirma because we need to win as many games as possible,” Baltazar said. “We have Macau next, then we face the stronger teams.”
The FiberXers battle the Macau Giant Pandas, who are now 0-2 after being beaten 123-109 by the San Miguel Beermen, on Friday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
After that are matches against the Beermen (July 22), TNT Tropang 5G (July 28) and the 3-0 NLEX Road Warriors (Aug. 1) to conclude the first round of the group stage.
For Converge to have a good run of form, it hopes to have Hudson, usually known for his ability to score, get back into his groove after a sluggish showing.
Coach Delta Pineda, however, is keeping a patient approach with Hudson after his import went 1-of-14 from the field.
“Our import has yet to get his rhythm, and that’s what we were missing from [him] this game,” said Pineda.
Terrafirma dropped to 1-2 after another failed comeback attempt. But like in its game against NLEX, the Dyip had their chance at redemption.
The Dyip were able to force a turnover with about 15 seconds left, and Tiongson and Strings had their chances. The ball, however, ended up with Maverick Ahanmisi, who fired a four-pointer before time expired.
But Ahanmisi’s potential game-winning try hit the right side of the rim, much to the dismay of the Terrafirma squad.
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