Converge FiberXers big man Justin Arana isn’t dwelling on his team’s 128-122 loss to the San Miguel Beermen on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
After that loss, the big man, who is off to his best start in any conference, kept things in perspective for the FiberXers. He also kept it simple: it’s just one loss, and the two teams will meet again.
“Isang talo pa lang naman,” he said. “Kailangan namin mag-regroup at siyempre kailangan namin makabawi kasi magkikita pa naman kami sa second round.”
The loss is, indeed, Converge’s first after opening the PBA Governors’ Cup with three straight victories. The two teams, meanwhile, will battle it out again two weeks from now as the rematch is set for August 5, this time at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Beermen Were Better Prepared, Says Arana
For that second go-round, Arana would probably like his FiberXers to be better prepared because the level of preparation, according to him, was the difference on Wednesday.
“Nag-collapse ‘yung defense namin at maganda ‘yung rotation nila ng bola, especially pag na kay Cjay [Perez] or George King ‘yung bola. Mas napaghandaan nila ‘yung game,” the veteran center admitted.
Arana has a point. After trailing 27-10 early, Converge rallied to take a 61-60 lead heading to halftime. The FiberXers were still up, 81-80, at the 4:13 mark of the third when the Beermen rattled off eight straight to build an 88-81 lead. Arana and company never recovered.
Arana Came in Prepared This Conference
The loss wasn’t for lack of trying, especially on the part of Arana, who tallied 29 points on 14-for-19 shooting to go along with his 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
For this conference, the 6-foot-7 slot man has been putting up 28.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in what is arguably the finest four-game stretch of his career. He punctuated this run with a 39-point career effort in a win against the Macau Giant Pandas.
Arana will look to continue his strong surge on Tuesday, July 28, when Converge faces the undermanned TNT Tropang 5G.
