The Converge FiberXers and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel closed the curtain on the PBA Philippine Cup’s Christmas Day special at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with the former looking to seal their first semis stint in franchise history. But Ginebra had other plans, outplaying Converge to notch a 105–85 dismantling and send this matchup to do-or-die Sunday.
What Happened?
Converge and Ginebra delivered thrilling action all throughout the first half, with neither team giving an inch. Ginebra won the first quarter, 23–21, but Converge nudged in front going into halftime after outscoring the crowd darlings, 21–18, in the second quarter. Some hot shooting from RJ Abarrientos in the third allowed Ginebra to outgun the FiberXers, 29–22, and seize a six-point lead going into the payoff period. Abarrientos continued his hot shooting in the final quarter to tow the Gin Kings to the blowout victory.
Who Stood Out?
Abarrientos was red-hot against Converge, firing 35 big points on 6-for-8 shooting from downtown. He capped his offensive show with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals to lead Ginebra. Scottie Thompson was a stud as well, notching a 13-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double while limiting super rookie Juan Gomez de Liaño to just 9 markers.
Converge, on the other hand, struggled for much of the game as Ginebra stepped up its defense. One bright spot, though, was Justine Baltazar, who put up 19 points and 13 rebounds on top of 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Schonny Winston, meanwhile, had his moments as he came off the Converge bench to score 14.
3 Keys to the Game
- Defense. Ginebra is the league’s best defensive team numbers-wise, and it showed against Converge. With Thompson clamping down on Gomez de Liaño, the FiberXers struggled, shooting just 40% from the field and going 4-for-24 from deep. They also coughed the ball up 16 times.
- Bench play. Ginebra’s bench was superb once more, with Abarrientos again at the forefront. But it wasn’t just him who provided a spark. Ralph Cu also came off the bench to add 8 markers, while Jayson David and Norbert Torres provided quality minutes as well, as Ginebra matched Converge’s long rotation.
- Scottie + RJ backcourt. Thompson set the tone early with his aggressiveness on offense and physical defense on Gomez de Liaño. Abarrientos then came in and provided the playmaking and scoring the crowd darlings needed to get separation from the FiberXers.
Next Up for the PBA
The PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals will continue on Saturday, also at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The second-seeded Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will face off with the seventh-seeded Meralco Bolts in the first game. A showdown between No. 3 TNT Tropang 5G and No. 6 Magnolia Hotshots will be the nightcap.
Meralco vs. Rain or Shine (5:15 p.m.)
Magnolia vs. TNT (7:30 p.m.)
