MANILA – Brian Scott “Scotty” Hopson knocked down a go-ahead four-point shot as Converge FiberXers pulled off a come-from-behind 96-95 upset over TNT Tropang Giga in the 2024 PBA Governors’ Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Down 92-95 after four free throws by TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Hopson eluded his defender before converting an awkward-looking attempt from the 27-feet line to give Converge a 96-95 lead with four seconds left.
The defending champions Tropang Giga still had a chance to snatch the victory but Hopson swatted away the inside attempt of Hollis-Jefferson as the final buzzer sounded.
Hopson, formerly of Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA, finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists as the FiberXers tied the Tropang Giga on top of Group A with 2-1 win-loss slate.
“Probably, this is the proof of the four-point line,” said FiberXers head coach Franco Atienza. “In the previous conference, the best-case scenario is an overtime, but here we have a chance to win it.”
“If we go into overtime, we don’t know our chances in the overtime (against TNT),” he added. “It is good that we have a player who can shoot from there and we got an open shot.”
Deschon Winston added 14 markers, Justin Arana contributed 13 markers, mostly coming in the fourth period, while Kevin Racal and Alex Cabagnot ended with 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the FiberXers.
“Coming into this game, coming off a loss, we banked on playing together, playing hard, and trying to sustain it, not being down by a lot and having a chance to win it,” Atienza said. “We just stuck it out together and trust the system.”
Hollis-Jefferson led the way for the Tropang Giga with 32 points and 15 rebounds, while Calvin Oftana posted a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds as they suffered their first defeat of the conference./PN
BOX SCORE:
CONVERGE 96 – Hopson 32, Winston 14, Arana 13, Racal 12, Cabagnot 10, Stockton 8, Santos 5, Delos Santos 2, Ambohot 0, Andrade 0, Caralipio 0, Nieto 0.
TNT 95 – Hollis-Jefferson 32, Oftana 22, Castro 8, Aurin 7, Khobuntin 7, Nambatac 6, Heruela 5, Erram 5, Pogoy 3, Payawal 0.
Quarterscores: 16-29, 40-53, 64-70, 96-95.
