Converge import Quincy Miller has another big game. –PBA IMAGES
Coach Aldin Ayo expressed some concern that Converge’s winning streak in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup is suffering from diminishing returns.
“To be honest, we’re winning. But our game, in a way, is deteriorating,” Ayo said after the FiberXers won a sixth straight game by outlasting the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 132-127, on Wednesday in an offense-heavy clash between the hottest teams in the league.
Converge jumped to 7-2 after the midweek victory at Smart Araneta Coliseum, overtaking Bay Area for second place and inching closer to Magnolia at the top of the standings, but Ayo has his reasons to be concerned.
“We veered away from our system against NLEX just to win the game. We did the same in this game against Phoenix because of the unconventional approach of Coach Topex [Robinson],” Ayo said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“But good thing, our conditioning was there and the players [were] ready physically,” added the FiberXers mentor, who has called for his team to undergo what he described as an “active rest” to rediscover “the proper approach of playing.”NorthPort snapped a three-game skid with a 107-94 victory over NLEX in the nightcap and gained ground in the quarterfinal race.
Robert Bolick had 33 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in leading the Batang Pier to a 4-5 record, now ahead of the San Miguel Beermen for eighth spot in the standings.The FiberXers are set to play on Sunday against Rain or Shine, a game that could also be another test for Ayo with coach Yeng Guiao, his youth-laden roster and new import Ryan Pearson.
Triple frenzy
Quincy Miller lays in two of his 46 points. —PBA Images.
Converge engaged Phoenix, which also came into the contest with five straight wins, in a shootout right from the start, resulting in 10 ties, 21 lead changes and 36 combined triples.
The FiberXers made 22 of those, resetting a franchise record of 21 set two weeks prior in an upset over the TNT Tropang Giga, where their 130 points were also the previous mark.
FiberXers import Quincy Miller made eight triples to finish with 46 points, which came with across-the-board numbers of 18 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks. Backup guard RK Ilagan fired 22 after hitting six from downtown.It wasn’t until the fourth when Converge took control as Miller, Ilagan and Maverick Ahanmisi made timely shots to take a 129-117 lead when Phoenix’s offense sputtered.
“We tried to simplify our offense because we were kept delayed by their zone press,” Ayo said. “We just called our short plays and made sure that we put our players on the right spots where they can score.”
Encho Serrano led a Phoenix bid to make a late run, but the Fuel Masters dropped to 5-4 after their first defeat since Oct. 1—when it squandered a 16-point lead against Bay Area.
Seven Phoenix players registered double figures in points, including reinforcement Kaleb Wesson, who had 25 points, 21 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. INQ