MANILA – Converge FiberXers vented their frustration on Blackwater Bossing with an 111-80 rout in the PBA Philippine Cup over the weekend at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila City.
Justin Arana led the way with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds to go with three blocks as the FiberXers improved to a 2-2 win-loss slate, tying the defending champions Meralco Bolts.
Justine Baltazar also finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Deschon Winston, Rey Suerte, and Bryan Santos had 16, 11, and 10 points, respectively, for the FiberXers.
FiberXers interim head coach Franco Atienza credited his team’s defense of Bossing stars Sedrick Barefield and Christian David, who were held to a combine of five points, for their lopsided win.
“We know that we will get our shot, but if we want to be title contenders, we have to tighten our defense,” Atienza said in a post-game interview. “No matter how cliché it may sound but defense wins championships.”
“So, I am proud of the guys, we limited (the Bossing) to 80 points,” he added. “So, we wanna reinvent ourselves, we wanna have that defensive identity. At the end of the day, we will have an off night on offense, but we will not have an off night on defense.””
RK Ilagan top-scored for the Bossing with 19 points, including two three-pointers and a four-pointer, while Richard Escoto added 11 markers as they suffered their second loss in as many games.
Meanwhile, Phoenix Fuel Masters banked on a strong start to defeat over the defending champions Bolts, 109-96, for their first win in the season-ending conference.
Tyler Tio spearheaded the offense with 22 points to go with six assists and two rebounds, while Ricci Rivero added 20 markers as the Fuel Masters moved up to a 1-2 win-loss slate.
Jason Perkins made his conference debut for the Fuel Masters with 19 points, five rebounds, and one assist, while Kai Ballungay chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds in the win./PN
