CONVERGE and Magnolia shoot for back-to-back wins in a heavyweight PBA On Tour clash Wednesday night at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The FiberXers and the Hotshots both got off to a blazing start in the pre-season tournament presented by Arena Plus and sponsored by Bingo Plus, making their 7:30 p.m. encounter a sure-fire dogfight.
Aldin Ayo's Converge troops routed Terrafirma, 119-82, with Justin Arana and Jerrick Balanza dropping 24 apiece and trade acquisitions Mike Nieto and Adrian Wong chipping in 11 and 12, respectively.
"We're still in the process of building up," said Ayo after their 37-point kickoff victory.
The Hotshots were as impressive in dismantling Blackwater, 117-83.
This the wards of Chito Victolero did despite missing key players Ian Sangalang, Jio Jalalon and Calvin Abueva plus Russel Escoto due to various injuries.
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The Hotshots offset these absences with the stepping up of backup center James Laput, who posted a 12-12 double-double, and the auspicious debut of former Converge player Abu Tratter, who banged in 14 and shared scoring honors with Jerrick Ahanmisi and veteran Marc Barroca.
Victolero said except for Jalalon, he doesn't expect the injured players to return to active duty within this week.
He also gave props to Tratter, whom he said is a big help in offense, rebounding and more importantly, defense. (OL)
