Crushing victory
Converge interim coach Franco Atienza said the points Scotty Hopson provided for the team Tuesday night was “a bonus.”
It’s scary to imagine what the real treat could be.
Hopson finished with 46 points and made Terrafirma’s blockbuster offseason move look lame following a 127-95 compacting of the Dyip in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
The FiberXers used a crippling third-quarter run to turn a four-point lead at halftime into a 100-67 cushion with Hopson spearheading the charge.
“It was competitive all night long; we just got hot in the third quarter and made some shots,” Hopson said.
That’s underplaying his team’s 47-point third quarter.
Hopson had a four-pointer, Alec Stockton had six straight points and Converge was off to a 75-52 spread that had the Dyip running on flats the rest of the way.
Hopson made all three of his attempts from beyond the newly-painted arc.
Stockton added 21 points, 13 in the third quarter.
The FiberXers share the provisional lead in Group A of the Governors’ Cup brackets with last season’s Philippine Cup winner Meralco Bolts and defending champion TNT Tropang Giga.
Meralco and TNT will break that tie when they collide on Thursday at Smafrt Araneta Coliseum, in the nightcap of a playdate that will kick off with the 5 p.m. duel between the NLEX Road Warriors and the Blackwater Bossing.
Schonny Winston had 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals for Converge while Justin Arana added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Converge spoiled the debut of Terrafirma’s latest acquisitions Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle, who were reeled in from Barangay Ginebra in exchange for younger pieces Stephen Holt and Isaac Go, among others.
Pringle dropped 19 points, including two makes from the four-point spot, with four rebounds and seven assists while Standhardinger posted 17 points and six rebounds.
There was a lot of excitement over the acquisition of the veteran pair but that quickly dissipated under the heat of Converge’s third quarter.
Import Antonio Hester submitted 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for the Dyip in his PBA return. Hester was flown in as a replacement for Brandon Edwards, who suffered an ACL injury during the preseason buildup.
The FiberXers will face a stern test on Friday when they take on a smarting Magnolia Hotshots at around 7:30 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Magnolia lost to Meralco on opening day.
Terrafirma, meanwhile, will look to bounce back when it faces NorthPort in Friday’s 5 p.m. opener.
