Arana's 20-20, De Liano's triple-double power Converge past Titan Ultra
At A Glance
- Juan Gomez de Liano announced his PBA arrival with a bang, registering a triple-double, while Justin Arana delivered a dominant 20-20 performance as Converge demolished Titan Ultra, 129-92, to open its Season 50 Philippine Cup campaign at the Ynares Center in Montalban on Saturday, Oct. 11.
Juan Gomez de Liano announced his PBA arrival with a bang, registering a triple-double, while Justin Arana delivered a dominant 20-20 performance as Converge demolished Titan Ultra, 129-92, to open its Season 50 Philippine Cup campaign at the Ynares Center in Montalban on Saturday, Oct. 11.
The FiberXers broke the game wide open with a blistering 14-0 run in the second quarter and never looked back, cruising to a 37-point rout that handed the Giant Risers a harsh dose of reality following their stunning upset of the Meralco Bolts.
Arana led six Converge players in double figures with 28 points and 22 rebounds, while Gomez de Liano lived up to the hype in his debut after scattering 15 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Schonny Winston added 16 points, Justin Baltazar added a double-double with 15 points and rebounds, Alec Stockton provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, and veteran Kevin Racal contributed 12 points.
Titan Ultra hang tough against Converge through one and a half quarters with the FiberXers unloading the fiery run that turned a 33-27 lead into a comfortable 47-27 cushion.
Despite losing Calvin Abueva due to injury in the first quarter after a 41-point explosion in the first game, the Giant Risers fought to stay in it, but the massive deficit, which grew to as much as 39 points, was simply too much to overcome.
Joshua Munzon picked up the slack in Abueva's absence by firing 31 points but was simply alone in the fight as no other Giant Risers reached double-figures in scoring.
With the loss, Titan Ultra slipped to the middle pack of the standings with a 1-1 record.