Converge turned to clutch defense and timely offense to overturn a 43-61 deficit and blast past Terrafirma, 117-103, on Wednesday to strengthen its push for a playoff spot in the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup. Behind a fourth-quarter lockdown and a barrage of double-doubles, the FiberXers moved to 6-4 and secured at least a playoff for a quarterfinal berth.

King Caralipio, Justine Baltazar, and Justin Arana all delivered massive two-way efforts, while Alec Stockton and Schonny Winston fired at crucial stretches to fuel the turnaround. Coach Franco Atienza lauded his squad’s grit, particularly their defense that limited the Dyip to only 11 points in the final period.

Fourth-Quarter Lockdown Seals Comeback Win

Converge clamped down hard in the fourth quarter, allowing only 4-of-11 shooting from Terrafirma while Caralipio and Winston led a 29-point surge. Caralipio ended with 18 points and a career-best 10 rebounds, Baltazar tallied 17 and 10, and Arana came off the bench to post 17 and 13 for a dominating presence inside.

Stockton added 17 markers and Winston chipped in 16 as Converge ruled the boards, 61-35, including 24-13 in offensive rebounds. Despite scoring only four points, Bryan Santos added nine boards to bolster the FiberXers’ paint dominance.

Terrafirma Fades After Fiery Start

Terrafirma lit up the scoreboard early, burying eight triples in the first half and building a commanding 84-72 lead late in the third. But a five-minute scoring drought allowed Converge to climb back to within 88-92, before Winston’s six straight points launched a game-changing 12-3 run.

Stanley Pringle paced Terrafirma with 23 points, followed by Louie Sangalang’s 18 and 15 each from Keith Zaldivar and Mark Nonoy. The Dyip’s eighth straight loss dropped them to 1-8, officially eliminating them from playoff contention despite their explosive start.