PBA: CJ Cansino, Marvin Jones catch fire late as Meralco torches Converge for winning start

Meralco secured a decisive 109-88 victory over Converge in their opening game of the PBASeason50Commissioner'sCup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. The win was fueled by a late-game surge in the fourth quarter, led by CJ Cansino and import Marvin Jones, who hit crucial three-pointers to pull away for the 21-point rout.

Marvin Jones led Meralco with 29 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block. CJ Cansino contributed 23 points, with 20 coming in the second half, along with 8 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. Their performances handed Converge its second consecutive loss, dropping their record to 1-2.

Meralco head coach LuigiTrillo acknowledged Converge's strong start, noting they made 6 of 9 three-pointers in the first quarter to build an early lead. He attributed part of this to Converge having already played two games, while it was Meralco's season opener. Trillo praised his team's improvement as the game progressed, particularly their defense, ball movement, and patience in breaking down Converge's zone defense in the fourth quarter.

After being limited to just three points in the first half, CJ Cansino ignited in the third quarter, scoring 12 early points to help Meralco establish a 68-54 lead, ending the period up 79-67. In the fourth quarter, Chris Newsome and Jones hit consecutive three-pointers to extend the lead to 89-74, followed by Cansino making two straight four-point plays to push the advantage to 97-79, effectively sealing the game.

Converge, coming off an overtime loss to Terrafirma , struggled to find momentum despite efforts from Justin Arana and MJ Garcia. Alec Stockton led Converge with 18 points, while Justin Baltazar recorded a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds, and Justin Arana added 16 points and 11 rebounds.