Murrell, fellow young guns show the way as Converge holds off NLEX

MANILA, Philippines, July 8 ------ The Converge FiberXers ended their two-game losing skid with a 112-108 win over the NLEX Road Warriors in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday, July 7.

Sophomore forward David Murrell proved to be a thorn in the side of his former team NLEX as he dropped 21 points on an efficient 10-of-14 clip from the field for Converge, which improved its record to 3-5. Rookie Tyrus Hill, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 PBA Draft, also shone bright for the FiberXers in the victory, finishing with 18 points and 7 rebounds, while second-year guard Taylor Browne stepped up with 15 markers on 5-of-8 shooting from deep. “I think what’s really impressive with the guys tonight was just being able to bounce back,” said Converge head coach Jeff Cariaso. “The way we look at it, this is the last stretch of the eliminations and at this point, regardless of our record, we still control our own destiny. Guys came out focused and I want to attribute that to the focus that they brought and the energy that they brought in practice this week,” he added.

After leading by only a single point, 77-76, at the end of the third period, the FiberXers waxed hot early in the final frame and quickly turned their one-point advantage to double-digits, 90-79, off a two-handed jam by Hill with 8:12 to play in the quarter. The red-hot FiberXers then pulled away from the Road Warriors for good, thanks to a three-pointer by Browne that stretched their lead to its largest at 16 points, 98-82, with just 5:07 remaining in the ball game. Rookie big man Justin Arana also came up huge for Converge as he scored 11 points, while Mav Ahanmisi added 10 markers.

Kris Rosales paced the Road Warriors, who dropped to 4-4 in the standings, with 29 points, while Kevin Alas had 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in the loss.

The Scores:

Converge 112 – Murrell 21, Hill 18, Browne 15, Arana 11, Ahanmisi 10, Adamos 9, Tratter 8, Ambohot 7, Bulanadi 4, Racal 3, Ilagan 3, Digregorio 3, Tolomia 0, Stockton 0.

NLEX 108 – Rosales 29, Alas 23, Trollano 18, Chua 15, Quinahan 4, Paniamogan 3, Fonacier 2, Magat 2, Semerad 0, Soyud 0, Ighalo 9.

Quarters: 19-15, 46-38, 77-76, 112-108.

Source: rappler.com