Converge almost there beats ROS, moves closer to semis

MANILA, Philippines —  It wasn’t an ideal start for Converge. But the FiberXers made sure they finished in the strongest way possible to get it done against Rain or Shine.

And with their roaring 130-118 comeback victory from 17 down, the third-seeded FiberXers positioned themselves in the threshold of the franchise’s first semifinal stint in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Gusto naming manalo talaga kasi pang-lima na namin ito sa quarterfinals and hindi pa kami nakakalusot doon sa unang apat. So gigil talaga kami ma-seal itong Game 1 at hopefully sa Game 2 para makuha namin ang first semis namin,” said big man Justin Arana, who accounted for 22 points and eight rebounds in the W against No. 6 ROS.

Arana, who played his first match back from an ankle injury sustained in the eliminations, formed a three-headed monster with reinforcement Cheick Diallo and Justine Baltazar against an Elasto Painters crew forced to play all-Filipino in the second half.

ROS reinforcement Dion Thompson fouled out with still 8:34 left in the third, leaving a big void in the interior that the Converge bigs exploited to the fullest. Without Thompson, Arana, Diallo and Baltazar went on a 17-4 rampage in the fourth to create a 122-108 separation.

“It was a good break for us na nawala si Dion, who’s really a big presence inside,” said Converge coach Franco Atienza of the ROS import who exited with 14-6-2 in 24 minutes.

Diallo dished out a game-high 35 points plus 17 rebounds as Jordan Heading (21 markers with nine assists), Schonny Winston (17) and Baltazar (13) also delivered for Converge.

The FiberXers fell to a 17-34 hole in the first but clawed back in with an Arana-led 38-23 salvo in the second to get the driver’s seat, 64-62 lead. Caelan Tiongson paced ROS with 23 spiked by five three-pointers.

Meanwhile, top seed NorthPort and No. 2 TNT eye a quick entry to the semis today against their respective lower-ranked rivals.