MANILA – Converge FiberXers relied on Justine Baltazar’s career outing to defeat Blackwater Bossing, 127-109, in the 2024-25 PBA Commissioner’s Cup last night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Baltazar, the top-overall pick in the PBA Season 49 Rookie Draft, finished with a career-high of 20 points to go with 10 rebounds, four steals, two assists, and two blocks as the FiberXers moved up to 8-3 in the standings.
“Nabigyan ako ng chance na maglaro, so ibinigay ko lang ‘yung best ko,” Baltazar said during his Player of the Game interview. “Kahit sinong makakalaban naman namin hindi lang kami magre-relax.”
Jordan Heading led the way for Converge with 22 points, Cheick Diallo added a double-double of 20 points and 18 rebounds, Alec Stockton tallied 19 points, while Deschon Winston and JL delos Santos ended with 10 apiece.
“In terms of point production, we know that our players will be able to score, but our emphasis in this game is defense,” said FiberXers interim head coach Franco Atienza after the game.
“Late in the eliminations, hopefully we make it to the playoffs, we will get our looks, we will be able to execute, pero kailangan naming i-limit ‘yung kabilang team, kailangan naming dumepensa,” he added.
George King ended with 34 points, including four four-point shots, Frederick Tungcab added 20 markers, while Justin Chua, Christian David, and James Kwekuteye ended with 16, 14, and 10 markers, respectively, as the Bossing fell to a 2-8 record.
Meanwhile, Meralco Bolts leaned on a huge finishing run to defeat defending champions San Miguel Beermen, 100-93 on Saturday evening at the Candon City Arena in Candon, Ilocos Sur.
Trailing 86-89 with over five minutes left, the Bolts tied the game with a three-pointer from Chris Newsome before surging ahead on back-to-back layups by Chris Banchero and a three-point play by Akil Mitchell.
The Beermen cut the deficit to 93-96 on split free throws by Jaymar Perez and June Mar Fajardo and two charity shots from Malik Pope, but a layup by CJ Cansino and free throws from Banchero sealed the win for the Bolts.
Mitchell tallied a double-double of 26 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Bolts, Newsome added 20 markers, including four three-point conversions, while Banchero contributed 19 points as they improved to a 7-3 win-loss slate./PN
