MANILA – Justin Arana came up with clutch conversions as Converge FiberXers escaped with a 92-90 win over Blackwater Bossing in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Down 88-90 after a completed three-point play by Bossing’s Jvee Casio, Arana knotted the score at 90-all for the FiberXers with an inside conversion with 34 seconds left.
Arana then blocked the shot attempt of Casio in the next play before he surged the FiberXers ahead at 92-90 with 10 seconds remaining on another inside hit.
Blackwater still had a chance to force the game into overtime but Kevin Barkley Ebona was unable to convert from inside from a pass by Casio at the buzzer.
Arana finished the game with 13 points and five rebounds for the FiberXers, which finished the eliminations with 5-6 win-loss slate as they await for their playoffs fate.
Maverick Ahanmisi led the way with 18 points, including four outside conversions, to go with seven assists, while Abu Tratter had double-double 10 points and 10 rebounds for Converge.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser finished with double-double 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Casio, Baser Amer and Rey Suerte chipped in 16, 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Bossing.
Blackwater suffered its fourth consecutive defeat to drop to 5-5 win-loss slate. They will close out the elimination round against Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots on Friday night.
BOX SCORE:
CONVERGE 92 – Ahanmisi 18, Arana 13, Tratter 10, Stockton 9, Bulanadi 8, Ilagan 8, DiGregorio 7, Hill 6, Tolomia 4, Murrell 4, Adamos 2, Racal 2, Ambohot 1, Browne 0.
BLACKWATER 90 – Ganuelas-Rosser 20, Casio 16, Amer 14, Suerte 12, Sena 9, Ebona 6, Taha 4, Melton 4, McCarthy 3, Publico 2, Ayonayon 0, Escoto 0, Dyke 0.
Quarterscores: 28-23, 46-47, 63-70, 92-90./PN
