Playoff-ready Winston steadies ship as Converge outlasts San Miguel despite blown lead

MANILA, Philippines – Converge squandered a huge lead but still got the job done against San Miguel, 100-97, on Wednesday, June 11, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium to enter the playoffs of the PBA Philippine Cup on a winning high.

Schonny Winston fell just a point short of tying his career high as he fired 25 points to go with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals to help the FiberXers end the elimination round with a 7-4 record even after they blew an 18-point lead.

Winston steadied the ship when Converge found itself staring at an 89-93 deficit with under four minutes remaining after a CJ Perez four-pointer put the Beermen ahead.

He knocked down a three-pointer and a two-pointer in succession to regain the upper hand for the FiberXers, 94-93, before a JL de los Santos triple and a King Caralipio layup allowed Converge to create ample separation.

It was a morale-boosting victory against a San Miguel side tipped to contend for the crown this conference, but Winston said the FiberXers need to keep hammering away as the quarterfinals near. 

“This game mattered but the playoff game is when it really gets turned up and the heat is on you,” said Winston. 

“We played hard today and we got a really good win, but we have to continue to work hard and go back into the lab and get ready for the playoffs.” 

Justin Arana chipped in 21 points and 3 assists for Converge, De Los Santos supplied 13 points and 3 rebounds, while Justine Baltazar added 7 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.

FiberXers star Alec Stockton struggled offensively and put up just 7 points on 2-of-12 shooting, although he was the one who gave Converge its biggest lead of the game at 37-55 early in the third quarter.

That cushion, however, slowly vanished as the Beermen chipped away at its deficit, and by the end of the period, they were down by just a single possession, 68-70. 

June Mar Fajardo dominated for San Miguel with 17 points, 23 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Perez also netted 17 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Starting forward Don Trollano knocked down his only field goal of the game with a minute left when he sank a four-pointer to pull the Beermen within 97-99, but the FiberXers held on. 

Mo Tautuaa had 14 points and 6 rebounds in the loss that dropped San Miguel to 7-3. 

Earlier, NorthPort — already out of contention — played spoiler and upset No. 1 NLEX in a 113-108 win. 

Cade Flores posted a career-high 26 points with 15 rebounds and 2 steals as the Batang Pier snapped an eight-game losing streak and complicated the Road Warriors’ bid of clinching the top seed.

Going two full months without a win since its conference-opening victory over Terrafirma last April 12, NorthPort built a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and held off a furious NLEX comeback.

“We want to end the conference on a high note and build on this for our campaign next conference,” said Batang Pier assistant coach Rensy Bajar.

NorthPort improved to 2-8, while the Road Warriors fell to 8-3. 

The Scores

First game

NorthPort 113 – Flores 26, Yu 21, Abueva 19, Munzon 8, Balanza 7, Nelle 7, Onwubere 6, Bulanadi 6, Nava 5, Jalalon 3, Taha 3, Cuntapay 2, Kwekuteye 0.

NLEX 108 – Herndon 21, Ramirez 16, Bolick 16, Policarpio 12, Alas 12, Bahio 11, Torres 11, Valdez 9, Amer 0.

Quarters: 22-30, 46-54, 86-76, 113-108.

Second game

Converge 100 – Winston 25, Arana 21, Delos Santos 13, Stockton 7, Baltazar 7, R. Santos 6, B.Santos 6, Garcia 5, Racal 3, Caralipio 2, Corpuz 0.

San Miguel 97 – Fajardo 17, Perez 17, Tautuaa 14, Tiongson 13, Rosales 11, Cruz 8, Teng 4, Trollano 4, Lassiter 3, Cahilig 3, Brondial 3, Ross 0.

Quarters: 19-12, 53-37, 70-68, 100-97.

– Rappler.com