PBA: Determined Justine Baltazar steps up for Converge

Converge FiberXers’ Justine Baltazar during a PBA Philippine Cup game against Phoenix Fuel Masters. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Determined to give Converge much-needed boost, rookie Justine Baltazar made his presence felt in the FiberXers’ first win of the PBA Philippine Cup.

Baltazar knew he needed to exert effort in his quest to ease the load for fellow big man Justin Arana.

“Justin [Arana] had difficulties when I wasn’t here and we had a talk that I need to help him and the team, especially coming from a loss,” said the budding rookie out of La Salle after the  92-83 win over Phoenix to bring their record to 1-1.

SCHEDULE: PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup 2025

“Expectations are big for me here in Converge so I need to exert double effort here, especially with Justin when we play together. We need to talk with our bigs and we need to step up.”

Baltazar finished with just nine points but plucked 16 rebounds along with six assists and two blocks, making sure Arana’s double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds didn’t go to waste.

Alec Stockton made the most of his big men’s hard work and finished with a game-high 18 points for Converge.

READ: PBA: Converge bounces back, keeps Phoenix winless

Coach Franco Atienza was pleased with how his squad responded after from the FiberXers’ tragic conference-opener loss at the hands of Meralco on Friday.

“I feel the players were just caught off guard, jittery, if you could say that, but at the end of the day, it’s competition,” said Atienza.

“I’m just glad that our team and players were able to adjust and settle down.”

Up next for the FiberXers are the Magnolia Hotshots on Wednesday at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum for the league’s 50th anniversary.