SHOW OF FORCE: Overhauled Converge sizzles early, rips Terrafirma by 29

SHOW OF FORCE: Overhauled Converge sizzles early, rips Terrafirma by 29 | Daily Tribune

Games today:

(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)

5 p.m. — NorthPort vs NLEX

7:30 p.m. — Blackwater vs Magnolia

A first-quarter explosion was all that a beefed-up Converge needed to score a resounding 116–87 victory over new-look Terrafirma for a strong start in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup Wednesday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The FiberXers dropped 34 points in the opening period to take control of the match and cruised the rest of the way, leading by as many as 33.

“I think we dictated the pace pretty well and the guys are in sync at least for this first game, not taking anything away from the other team,” Converge coach Franco Atienza said.

Cheick Diallo lorded it over from the paint with a double-double of 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting and 16 rebounds for an impressive debut for Converge.

Justin Arana added 16 markers and 12 boards, Bryan Santos got 12 points while Mike Nieto came off the bench to contribute with 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from deep in 15 minutes of action as the FiberXers picked up from where they left off after a quarterfinal finish in the Governors’ Cup.

“More than the win, more than the score probably, we look at the process. We look at how we play today,” Atienza added.

Converge controlled the boards, 70-35, and was efficient from the field with a 43-of-83 shooting clip.

“We shot 51 percent from the field. We outrebounded them by half, our assist is a good number both 20-plus. It’s a good overall game for us. Good first game.”

Jordan Heading, acquired by Converge from the Dyip in a trade two weeks ago for Aljun Melecio and Keith Zaldivar, debuted with eight points, six assists and four boards.

The only time the FiberXers trailed was after Terrafirma scored the game’s first basket.

Converge built its biggest separation, 116-83, after Jeo Ambohot swished in a triple with 1:12 remaining in the lopsided ballgame.

CJ Catapusan led the Dyip with 13 points and six rebounds while debuting rookie Mark Nonoy, Louie Sangalang and Stanley Pringle added 11 each.

Import Ryan Richards had a disappointing outing of 10 points and 10 rebounds for Terrafirma, who sat out newly acquired veterans Terrence Romeo and Vic Manuel.

Meanwhile, action continues today with NorthPort and NLEX clashing in the 5 p.m. curtain-raiser at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Both squads will parade first-time PBA imports after their original reinforcement choices begged off forcing the Batang Pier and Road Warriors to scramble for replacements.

NLEX brought in Mike Watkins with former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Ed Davis unavailable due to personal family matter.

NorthPort got G-League campaigner Kadeem Jack after original choice Kavell Bigby Williams decided to try his luck in the Chinese league.

The Road Warriors will also welcome the return of Kevin Alas after more than a year of hiatus due to a knee injury.

On the other hand, Blackwater and Magnolia cross paths at 7:30 p.m. featuring their balik-imports.

After an impressive run in the Governors’ Cup, George King returns for the Bossing while Ricardo Ratcliffe will lead the Hotshots.

The scores:

CONVERGE (116) — Diallo 25, Arana 16, Santos 12, Nieto 11, Heading 8, Winston 7, Stockton 7, Ambohot 6, Fleming 6, Andrade 5, Racal 5, Fornilos 3, Javillonar 3, Santos 2, Cabagnot 0.

TERRAFIRMA (87) — Catapusan 13, Sangalang 11, Pringle 11, Nonoy 11, Richards 10, Carino 8, Hernandez 6, Ramos 5, Melecio 4, Paraiso 3, Ferrer 3, Zaldivar 2, Hanapi 2.

Quarters: 34-16, 59-42, 86-67, 116-87.