Eastern preserved a perfect record before flying to Hong Kong to play in a local league.
When the going got tough, Eastern turned to Cameron Clark.
Clark did not let them down.
The American reinforcement shone in the face of Converge's late surge and secured the guest team's 117-106 win in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Friday, Nov. 29.
[RELATED STORY: Cameron Clark sizzles as Eastern bests Converge for second straight win]
The former San Miguel import dropped nine points in the final four minutes and nine seconds as Eastern rolled to a 2-0 start after also pounding Phoenix on opening day.
Clark finished with 39 points and 15 rebounds.
“Coach (Mensur Bajramovic) puts us in the right position to make plays. We fought the whole game and glad we got this win,” said Clark.
Cameron Clark of Eastern outduels counterpart Cheick Diallo of Converge in their PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup meeting on Friday, Nov. 29. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports
Clark’s timely explosion was in response to counterpart Cheick Diallo's fiery stand for the Fiberxers as he instigated a personal 7-0 run to trim a 10-point gap to three, 98-101, with 4:30 minutes remaining.
That’s when Clark took over, eventually dealing Converge its first loss after also routing Terrafirma, 116-87, last Wednesday, Nov. 27.
Hayden Blankley (21 points and 10 rebounds) and Glen Yang (19 points and four assists) also made their presence felt.
Eastern thus spoiled Diallo's 43-point explosion for the FiberXers. He also had nine rebounds in a near double-double performance.
Alec Stockton was also stellar in the loss, coming up with 18 points, six rebounds, eight assists and two steals.
Jordan Heading chipped in 13 points, three rebounds and four dimes for Converge.
The Scores:
EASTERN 117 – Clark 39, Blankley 21, Yang 19, Guinchard 14, Lam 11, Cheung 4, Cao 3, Chan 2, Pok 2, Xu 2.
CONVERGE 106 – Diallo 43, Stockton 18, Heading 13, Winston 12, Arana 10, Racal 5, Nieto 5, Delos Santos 0, Santos 0, Javillonar 0.
Quarterscores: 21-20, 58-55, 91-83, 117-106