Juan Gomez de Liano registered a triple-double in his debut as Converge pounced on the loss of Calvin Abueva to clobber Titan Ultra, 129-92, on Saturday in the PBA Philippine Cup at Ynares Center II here.
Gomez de Liano finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists as he led the FiberXers to a convincing victory that humbled a Giant Risers side that came off a victory to open their big league foray at midweek. Justin Arana was also big for Converge with 28 points and 22 rebounds to highlight a night that gave Pampanga vice governor Delta Pineda a win in his first game as coach.
Four other players scored in double figures in Justine Baltazar with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five assists and Kevin Racal with 12 as a starter.
Titan Ultra fell to 1-1 as it couldn’t replicate Wednesday’s 100-96 upset of Meralco in Antipolo City that saw Abueva put up a career-high 41 points.
Abueva played less than five minutes before sitting the rest of the game due to a hamstring injury. Joshua Munzon fired 31 points for the Giant Risers, but his fourth 30-point game ended in defeat.
No other Titan Ultra player scored at least 10.
Converge’s next game is on Saturday when it heads to Vigan, Ilocos Sur to take on TNT.
Titan will be playing Magnolia on Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.