FiberXers turn to 3-pointers to ward off Fuel Masters

MANILA, Philippines — Despite seeing their double-digit first half lead melt in the third quarter, Converge’s waxing-hot shooting from deep helped them keep the Phoenix Fuel Masters at bay in their PBA Philippine Cup matchup Saturday.

The FiberXers blasted Phoenix, 128-114, to win their second straight game in the All-Filipino Cup. In the game, they made 15 of their 25 attempts from deep, a blistering 60%.

But the dominating win came not without strong opposition from the Fuel Masters.

After trailing by as much as 18 points in the first quarter, Phoenix was able to slice the deficit to four, 61-65, in the third quarter thanks to an 11-1 run to start the frame.

But the FiberXers found their range anew, erupting for a 12-4 run of their own to grab a 77-65 lead after a trey by Archie Concepcion.

This time, Converge had answer after answer to comeback attempts of the Fuel Masters.

Phoenix, though, made it a two-possession game, 104-112, with 5:18 remaining after a split from the line by Ricci Rivero.

But the FiberXers focused inside this time around to keep their opponents at bay. Alec Stockton’s 3-pointer with 27 seconds left shut the door for good.

After the game, Stockton, who finished with 22 points, three rebounds and two assists, said that the team just remained focused on their gameplan, which helped them turn back rallies by Phoenix.

“We stuck to the system and we stuck to the game plan. We came out with the W,” he said in the post-game interview.

Stockton sank 5-of-8 from deep. Juan Gomez-de Liano and Schonny Winston also had two 3-pointers each, while Kevin Racal, MJ Garcia, Concepcion, John Lloyd Clemente, Rey Suerte and JL delos Santos had one apiece.

Head coach Delta Pineda, for his part, lauded his team for remaining calm despite the run by Phoenix in the third.

“Hindi kinabahan yung mga bata, bumawi pa rin, and they stayed focused on our game plan,” he said.

So far this season, Converge is the only team to score more than 100 points in each of their games.

In their lone loss against the TNT Tropang 5G, the FiberXers scored 103. But they were able to score more than 120 points in their wins against Titan Ultra (129-92), Terrafirma Dyip (125-108) and Phoenix (128-114).

Converge will try to continue rolling, but it will be against defending champion San Miguel on November 2.