Converge coach Aldin Ayo. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–Converge coach Aldin Ayo refused to take any positives from the FiberXers’ fourth quarter fightback that eventually fell short against the visiting Bay Area Dragons on Friday.
The FiberXers ended up losing 106-100 to the Dragons at Smart Araneta Coliseum after trimming the gap from 22 down early in the fourth to four during the latter part of the contest.
“There’s no consolation in losing. I mean, there’s no silver lining,” Ayo said after the FiberXers fell to 1-2 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
It was a second straight defeat after Converge started the conference brightly with a win over Terrafirma in a high-scoring affair at Philsports Arena last Sept. 23.
A bid to make it two wins in a row was denied last Oct. 1 by Magnolia, which claimed a 109-105 win at the Big Dome. Converge was up 14 at one point, before the lead disappeared in the fourth.
“I mean, if you lose, you will not learn anything. You learn a lot when you win. When you lose, it means that there’s something wrong. You can’t say that we played a good game or at least we were able to make a run, it’s still a loss.
“We still have a lot of work to do, we have to stick to the practice plan, to our game plan, and play our game,” added Ayo with a mixture of Filipino words.
Import Quincy Miller has produced impressive numbers for Converge with 38.0 points, 15.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.7 blocks, Maverick Ahanmisi is the top local scorer at 13 at game while rookie Justine Arana is averaging 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds.
The Bay Area match is the first of a series of difficult matches for Converge in the month of October, with Meralco next on Oct. 15 followed by San Miguel Beer on Oct. 21 and TNT on Oct. 28 before facing Blackwater on Oct. 30.