The Philippine Basketball Association Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup got off to a fiery start as the Meralco Bolts leaned on a fourth-quarter explosion from CJ Cansino and import Marvin Jones to dismantle the Converge FiberXers, 109-88, on Wednesday at the Ynares Center.
Cansino and Jones caught fire from beyond the arc in the final frame, draining a barrage of three-pointers that broke the game wide open and secured a dominant opening win for Meralco.
Jones led all scorers with 29 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, and a block, while Cansino delivered a breakout performance with 23 points—20 of which came in the second half—plus eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.
Despite an early surge from Converge, Meralco kept its composure and gradually turned the tide. Cansino, who was limited to just three points in the first half, ignited in the third quarter with 12 points, helping the Bolts seize a 68-54 advantage before extending it to 79-67 heading into the fourth.
The Bolts never looked back.
Chris Newsome and Jones sparked the final quarter run with back-to-back triples to stretch the lead to 89-74. Moments later, Cansino delivered back-to-back four-point plays, blowing the game wide open at 97-79 and effectively putting the contest out of reach.
Converge tried to mount a response behind Justine Arana and MJ Garcia, but the FiberXers—coming off an overtime loss to the Terrafirma Dyip—failed to recover.
Alex Tonton paced Converge with 18 points, while Justine Baltazar and Arana both registered double-doubles. Baltazar finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds, and Arana added 16 points and 11 boards.
The loss marked Converge’s second straight defeat, dropping them to a 1-2 record, while Meralco opened its campaign in emphatic fashion.
GAME RESULTS:
- MERALCO 109 – Jones 29, Cansino 23, Newsome 19, Mocon 9, Bates 8, Banchero 6, Black 5, Quinto 5, Brickman 3, Hodge 2, Magbuhos 0, Almazan 0
- CONVERGE 88 – Stockton 18, Arana 16, Kelley 13, Baltazar 12, Garcia 12, Policarpio 7, Williams 5, Concepcion 3, Clementte 2, Muyang 0
QUARTERS: 22-27, 48-45, 79-65, 109-88
