Alec Stockton and Justin Arana made things happen for Converge in the clutch in Sunday’s PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup match.
Alec Stockton has established himself as the go-to guy for Converge when the chips are down.
Down by just three points against Magnolia, 88-91, with 43.7 second left to play, Stockton launched the pull up triple in transition that tied the count at 91-all.
All eyes were on Stockton from there.
The former Far Eastern University standout then started dribbling left, baiting defenders, before cleverly dishing it out to a wide open Justin Arana for the go-ahead undergoal stab as the FiberXers completed a come-from-behind 93-91 win over Magnolia in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday, Dec. 1.
Stockton finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists for Converge, which improve to a 2-1 slate.
“I guess it’s divine intervention,” said Converge coach Franco Atienza, whose team bounced back from a loss to guest team Eastern.
[RELATED STORY: Converge back on track after overcoming Magnolia in PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup]
Alec Stockton, Justin Arana team up for Converge in the second half
Justin Arana is clutch in Converge's match against Magnolia in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup on Sunday, Dec. 1. | Photo (c) PBA
It was Stockton and Arana who made things happen for the FiberXers when they stared at a 20-point deficit in the third period.
Scoring just two points in the first half, Stockton unloaded 16 points in the last 24 minutes of action to help the FiberXers chip away at the deficit.
In the fourth period, it was a nip-and-tuck affair.
Arana dropped 13 of his 24 points there to turn the tables on Magnolia.
Winning grind-out games like this, Atienza added, bodes well for the young team led by Stockton and Arana.
“Winning something like this, it’s like a playoff game. It's a good win for a young franchise like us. This is what makes ballers. This is what makes players, a grind-out win like this,” he said.
While Cheick Diallo was held to just 10 points after a 43-point explosion the last time, counterpart Ricardo Ratliffe and the Hotshots could not do anything about Converge’s late uprising and dropped to 1-1 after a dominant 118-100 win over Blackwater in the opener.
Ratliffe paced Magnolia with a double-double of 25 points and 19 rebounds.
Jerom Lastimosa had a stellar performance in just his second game in the league, finishing with 14 points on a perfect 2-for-2 clip from the three-point line.
Ian Sangalang and Jerrick Ahanmisi each had 12 points apiece, with Ahanmisi collecting all of his offensive output from the four-point line.
The Scores:
CONVERGE 93 – Arana 24, Stockton 18, Racal 10, Diallo 10, Heading 8, Santos 8, Andrade 5, Winston 5, Nieto 3, Delos Santos 2.
MAGNOLIA 91 – Ratliffe 25, Lastimosa 14, Sangalang 12, Ahanmisi 12, Lee 10, Lucero 10, Barroca 6, Laput 2, Dela Rosa 0, Dionisio 0.
Quarterscores: 22-26, 38-53, 67-75, 93-91