Converge defeated Rain or Shine 130-118 on Wednesday in their PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinal opener at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, overcoming an early 17-point deficit led by Cheick Diallo, who finished with 35 points, 17 rebounds, and three blocks.

Diallo led the third-seeded FiberXers to a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three quarterfinal series when Rain or Shine import Deon Thompson fouled out on three fast whistles with 8:34 remaining in the third quarter.

With a victory in Game Two on Friday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, the FiberXers can secure the team’s first trip to the semifinals.

The outcome was comparable to their match in the elimination stage last January 14, when the FiberXers also trailed by 17 points before winning 103-96.

Franco Atienza, coach of Converge, cautioned that finishing the series won’t be simple.

Anton Asistio finished with 14 points and five assists, while Caelan Tiongson took the lead with a season-high 23 points for the Elasto Painters. Prior to fouling out, Thompson contributed 14 points and six rebounds.

Late in the first quarter, the Elasto Painters had already taken a 34–17 lead, but the FiberXers rallied with a 38–23 second quarter to take a 64–62 halftime lead.

The Scores

Converge 130 – Diallo 35, Arana 22, Heading 21, Winston 17, Stockton 13, Baltazar 13, Delos Santos 4, Santos 3, Racal 2, Ambohot 0.

Rain or Shine 118 – Tiongson 23, Asistio 14, Thompson 14, Nocum 14, Datu 12, Clarito 10, Ildefonso 9, Caracut 8, Lemetti 6, Belga 5, Santillan 3.

Quarter scores: 26-39; 64-62; 99-96; 130-118.

Meanwhile, in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night, Barangay Ginebra defeated Meralco 100-92 thanks to a ferocious last kick.

By defeating their longtime playoff opponents in their fifth game of the season, the third-seeded Gin Kings demonstrated their dominance over the Bolts and moved one victory away from a semifinal berth.

After falling behind by two points, 87-85, the Gin Kings rallied for a 13-7 run, led by 23 points from Scottie Thompson and Justin Brownlee.

With seven rebounds, six assists, four steals, and one block, Thompson enhanced an overall performance. He finished his late breakaway with five points as well.

Richard Del Rosario, the assistant coach for Ginebra, said this after Tim Cone lost his voice during the postgame press conference. “It was really a tough game because Meralco is a very good defensive team,”. “They made it difficult for us to execute our offense. ‘Yun ‘yung challenge sa amin, how we can stay disciplined with our execution. They do a lot of things that take you out of the execution. But the players, ‘yung grit talaga nila ‘yung nag-panalo dito.”

The Gin Kings, who will try to sweep Meralco in Game Two on Friday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, had 19 points and nine rebounds from Japeth Aguilar and 14 points and six assists from RJ Abarrientos.

With 7:53 remaining in the game, Chris Newsome made a three-pointer to give the Bolts a precarious two-point lead, but they were unable to hold on. Early in the second quarter, Meralco was down 12 points, but they managed to stay in the game.

Akil Mitchel contributed 19 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals for the Bolts, while Newsome finished with 20 points.

The Scores

Barangay Ginebra 100 – Thompson 23, Brownlee 23, J. Aguilar 19, Abarrientos 14, Rosario 8, Malonzo 7, Holt 6, Ahanmisi 0.

Meralco 92 – Newsome 20, Mitchell 19, Rios 13, Banchero 12, Quinto 11, Almazan 8, Black 5, Hodge 4, Bates 0, Cansino 0.

Quarter scores: 24-17; 50-47; 78-76; 100-92.