PBA: Converge withstands late Terrafirma rally, goes 2-0

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Converge FiberXers survived a late comeback attempt by the Terrafirma Dyip, 105-103, to extend their unbeaten PBA Governors’ Cup campaign to 2-0 on July 15, 2026, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

After controlling most of the game, the FiberXers suddenly collapsed in the final 3:55 of regulation, squandering a double-digit lead because of defensive miscues and sloppy offensive execution.

Terrafirma didn’t give up and put the pressure back on Converge, staging a dramatic 10-2 run to pull within two points on a Juami Tiongson 3-pointer at the 1:19 mark of the final frame.

Despite calling back-to-back emergency timeouts, the FiberXers still failed to convert a single basket in four offensive possessions, giving Terrafirma several chances to force overtime or win the game with a 3-pointer.

Terrafirma’s first golden chance came with only 31 seconds left, as Tiongson found Aljon Mariano, who was momentarily wide open after a sneaky cut to the dunker’s spot.

Unfortunately, Mariano’s game-tying layup was anticipated by Justine Baltazar, who sprinted back to the baseline to swat his attempt in the paint.

Converge failed to increase its cushion after a strong Terrafirma defensive stop, but Maverick Ahanmisi’s 4-point attempt to win the game bounced hard off the rim, prompting a huge sigh of relief from the worried FiberXers bench.

After a slow start, the FiberXers pulled away from Terrafirma midway through the second quarter behind the consistent offensive display of Justin Arana, who took the entire Terrafirma frontcourt to school.

Converge stuck to its game plan of feeding Arana in the post and continued to dump the leather into the shaded lane before Terrafirma deployed soft double-teams at the start of the second half.

When Arana was contained in the final two quarters, the 1-2 punch of Juan Gomez de Liaño and Baltazar answered the call, as the duo spearheaded Converge’s offensive runs before Terrafirma’s 10-2 closing run in the fourth period.

Arana was solid all night for Converge, leading the squad with a dominant double-double of 31 points and 10 rebounds.

De Liaño chipped in 19 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Baltazar capped the nail-biting win with 16 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks.

Terrafirma import Justin Strings tallied a massive 40-point performance to lead all scorers, but his efficient shooting night wasn’t enough to help his team secure its first win of the PBA Governors’ Cup.

Converge aims to extend its unbeaten streak to three games today against guest team Macau Giant Pandas, while Terrafirma seeks to end its skid tomorrow against the San Miguel Beermen.