Arana explodes for career-best 39 as Converge routs Macau for third straight win

Justin Arana turned in a career performance as Converge cruised to a 149-124 victory over the Macau Giant Pandas, extending its unbeaten run to three games in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors' Cup on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Arana dominated on both ends with a career-high 39 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists, earning Player of the Game honors for the third consecutive outing.

The FiberXers stormed to a 26-7 lead in the opening quarter and appeared headed for a comfortable win before Macau fought back to seize an 83-82 advantage in the third period. Converge, however, quickly regained control as Arana, Justine Baltazar, and Mikey Williams fueled a decisive run that put the contest away.

The win improved Converge's record to 3-0, tying NLEX atop Group A.

"Noong first quarter po 'yung transition namin, kung titingnan niyo, 'yun po strength namin. Nawala nung second. Then, good thing after noong huddle nagising po mga bata," said Converge head coach Delta Pineda.

Williams added 16 points, while Alec Stockton contributed 15. Baltazar finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and five assists, as Calvin Abueva matched that scoring output while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists. MJ Garcia chipped in 11 points, and Juan Gomez de Liano nearly recorded a triple-double with 10 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists in only 20 minutes of action.

Converge once again leaned on its local players for offensive production as import Jalen Hudson continued to search for his rhythm. Hudson managed 12 points on 12 field-goal attempts and collected five rebounds after scoring only two points in the FiberXers' previous victory over Terrafirma.

"I think kailangan lang bigyan ng chance, pagkakataon. Sinabi ko nga sa kanya na... tingin namin, masyado siyang presyurado inside the court. He needs to relax. 'Yun lang siguro," Pineda said of his import.

The FiberXers will put their unbeaten record on the line against San Miguel on July 22 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo to open a demanding three-game stretch.

Macau, meanwhile, dropped to 0-3 despite a career-high 41-point, eight-rebound effort from Ramon Cao. Import De'Vondre Perry added 35 points and 15 rebounds, while Kobey Lam finished with 26 points.

The Giant Pandas also lost Damian Chongqui midway through the second quarter after he was ejected for throwing the ball at referee Albert Nubla. Chongqui has been summoned to appear before the PBA Commissioner on Tuesday following the incident.