FROM a forgettable Season 48 campaign, the Converge FiberXers were off to a rousing start in PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup with a 127-95 rout of the Terrafirma Dyip Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Interim coach Franco Atienza and his troops are now looking to build on that huge 32-point victory, eyeing a follow-up as they clash with the Magnolia Hotshots Friday also at the Big Dome.
Converge and Magnolia collide at 7:30 p.m. where the Hotshots, for their part, are hoping for a turnaround from a 99-94 defeat at the hands of the Meralco Bolts in the season inaugurals Sunday.
The FiberXers and the Dyip were actually locked in a battle before import Scotty Hopson and his teammates hit great strides and pounded Terrafirma, 47-18, in a tremendous third-quarter assault.
Hopson marked his PBA debut with 46 points spiked by a perfect 3-of-3 clip from the four-point line, leading the FiberXers to a soaring start under the coaching combination of Atienza, Charles Tiu (first assistant coach) and Rajko Toroman (consultant).
Sponsored content:
"We defended well. Scoring was an offshoot of how we're defending. We weren't consciously trying to hit 100 points in the third; we just kept into our defense and our shots went in," said Atienza, the interim coach on the sudden exit of former head coach Aldin Ayo.
The locals did their part with Alec Stockton scoring 21 points as Schonny Winston and Justin Arana chipped in 14 and 13, respectively.
The big boost came from their sweet-shooting import who hit at an 18-of-24 clip while hauling down eight boards, issuing three assists and blocking two shots in 34 minutes of action.
"(Hopson's) scoring is just a bonus for us. When we scouted him, we liked his leadership and ability to do it on both ends. He delivered an A performance," said Atienza.
In their second game, Hopson is up for a good matchup with Magnolia's Glenn Robinson III.
Sponsored content:
Robinson marked his PBA debut with 29 points and 11 rebounds but failed to make the potential game-winning four-pointer when Magnolia faced a 94-97 deficit with 1.6 seconds left.
But he did show good promise for his ballclub.(SB)
