JAMAAL Franklin took over when needed most in lifting Converge to a hard-earned 111-109 win over Magnolia and into solo leadership in the PBA Governors Cup Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Seemingly content to be a passer in the first three quarters, Franklin scored 12 of his team-high 26 points in the final period and even capped his performance with a triple that made it 111-105, going to the last 64 seconds of play.
After Erwin McCree strung up four straight points to bring Magnolia within 109-111, Franklin almost became the goat when he issued a passing error in Converge's last thrust.
Good thing that the FiberXers' defense held up inside the last 10 seconds, forcing McCree to take a three-point shot which he missed and officially foiled the Hotshots' conference debut while sealing the former's third win in as many games.
Despite his team almost blowing as much as a 14-point lead and nearly suffering a meltdown in the endgame, Converge coach Aldin Ayo said he will not be one to punish his team.
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"We cannot blame the players... kasi minadali namin 'yung tira," explained Ayo. "Ganu'n talaga sistema namin, eh. We're not going to slow down. Breaks lang ng laro iyon. We just can't turn it (off), na tipong we have to slow down."
Instead, Ayo commended his team for not wilting when Magnolia started the game with a 10-2 lead and hanging tough in the face of the Hotshots' pressure.
"Good thing that we started practices early for this because what we did, our approach, was very general," said Ayo. "Ginagawa namin na regular, iyon ang ginawa na naman natin because wala kaming reference about them, kung ano gagawin namin sa kanila."
Franklin, who also had 13 points and seven assists, got plenty of help with Maverick Ahanmisi leading the support cast with 22 points and Alec Stockton adding a career-high 18 points while holding his own against Magnolia's dreaded backcourt.
In his first PBA game, McCree did not do so bad after finishing with 38 points and 16 rebounds. Paul Lee chipped in 21 points, Jio Jalalon 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals while Calvin Abueva had 12 points before fouling out with still a good 9:25 left in the game.
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Just as Magnolia coach Chito Victolero feared, his team showed little rhythm and, worse, committed 33 fouls which resulted in Converge netting a 34-of-42 clip from the stripes.
Helping keep the Hotshots in the game are their seven steals and a little flow in their offense that resulted in a 9-0 surge, highlighted by a four-point play from McCree, that pulled them within 104-106. (NC)
The Scores:
Converge 111- Franklin 26, Ahanmisi 22, Stockton 18, Melecio 14, Teng 11, Arana 8, Balanza 6, Tratter 4, Ambohot 2, Racal 0, Murrell 0.
Magnolia 109 - Mccree 38, Lee 21, Jalalon 13, Abueva 12, Escoto 7, Ahanmisi 5, Wong 4, Dela Rosa 3, Sangalang 2, Barroca 2, Dionisio 2, Corpuz 0.
Quarters: 28-23, 50-47, 84-73, 111-109
