Converge clips TNT in OT
CAMERON Clark powers Converge with 27 points en route to a 114-112 overtime win over TNT on Sunday in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Photograph courtesy of PBA
Games on Wednesday:
(Ynares Center-Antipolo)
5:15 p.m. — San Miguel Beer vs NLEX
7:30 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs Magnolia
Converge made a crucial stop after a gutsy Alec Stockton go-ahead layup to outlast defending champion TNT in a thrilling 114-112 overtime payback for a fifth straight win in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.
FiberXers import Cameron Clark’s smothering defense on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson down low forced the Tropang 5G import to miss a difficult shot as time expired.
Converge closed the elimination round with an 8-4 win-loss record in Group A and locked the third-seeding in the crossover best-of-five quarterfinals against the No. 2 seed in Group B.
Stockton shattered a 112-112 deadlock in overtime with a daredevil drive over TNT’s tight defense with 11.3 seconds left.
He sent the game to overtime, scoring eight in Converge’s 12-2 closing rally.
“I think for us we just want to have a mentality of not giving up whether we’re down or we’re up. We just want to keep our foot on the gas throughout the game. Pretty much that’s what happened,” said Stockton, who finished with 19 points.
Clark had 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Juan Gomez de Liaño had 22 points and eight assists while Justine Baltazar added 19 points and 12 boards for the FiberXers, who avenged its first round loss to the Tropang 5G.
TNT had its chances to wrap it up in regulation after building a 104-94 lead with 2:43 left. Stockton nailed a three-pointer followed by a four-point bomb by Gomez De Liaño as Converge closed the gap, 104-101.
Hollis-Jefferson answered with a basket but Stockton drained another triple to get to within two. The Tropang 5G came empty in its next two possessions before Gomez De Liaño found an unguarded Stockton underneath the basket for an easy equalizer, 106-106, with 0.4 ticks left.
A bad inbound pass by RR Pogoy sent the game into an extra five minutes.
TNT slipped to No. 4 seed in the quarters with a 7-5 slate.
Hollis-Jefferson had 33 points and 11 rebounds, Jordan Heading scored 21 and Calvin Oftana and Pogoy added 14 and 12 points, respectively.