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Converge forces do-or-die Game 5 against SMB
Converge surprised the mighty Beermen once again as they dragged them to a winner-take-all showdown after having a 114-110 victory in Game 4 of their PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup quarterfinals match-up to tie the series on Friday night, October 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The FiberXers put the pressure on SMB by making clutch plays in the end including Bryan Santos' back-to-back triples that gave them a 101-95 lead in the home stretch.
Photo Courtesy: PBA Images
“We just bank on hope in Game 3 because we were down 2-0. And now we banked on grit. We’ll bring that hope and grit to Game 5,” said Converge head coach Franco Atienza.
Deschon Winston steered Converge in scoring with 26 points, including 16 in the third canto, while Justin Arana contributed solid 25 markers.
Import Jalen Jones added 22 for the FiberXers but had to sit down in the precious minutes of the game when he was called for a flagrant foul penalty on a landing spot rule.
Good thing for Converge, Santos stepped up when he came in to give the FiberXers the boost they needed to erect a 14-point lead that virtually sealed the game for them.
“Wala na 'yong stats, wala na 'yong mga (previous games). Everything is out of the window. It’s just one game,” added Franco ahead of Sunday’s do-or-die encounter.
SMB was led by EJ Anosike with 35 points and 11 rebounds, while June Mar Fajardo added 17 markers and 20 boards.
Game 5 will be held on Sunday, October 6, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. The winner will then face Barangay Ginebra in a best-of-seven semifinals series.
The Scores:
Converge (114) - Winston 26, Arana 25, Jones 22, Stockton 16, Caralipio 10, Santos 9, Cabagnot 5, Ambohot 1, Delos Santos 0, Nieto 0, Andrade 0.
San Miguel (100) - Anosike 35, Fajardo 17, Lassiter 15, Perez 11, Cruz 10, Romeo 5, Trollano 4, Rosales 2, Tautuaa 1, Ross 0, Enciso 0, Brondial 0, Manuel 0.
Quarter Scores: 31-29; 51-55; 88-79; 114-100.
