Juan Gomez de Liano, or JGL, added another triple-double to his PBA résumé, and the Converge rookie did it on the same date as his first. He posted 32 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists in a 152-119 rout of Titan Ultra at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The win sent the FiberXers to the quarterfinals of the PBA Governors’ Cup. It was Gomez de Liano’s fourth triple-double overall, and his first also came against Titan Ultra in the season-opening Philippine Cup.

Juan Gomez de Liano Triple-Double Powers Converge Past Titan Ultra

Cameron Clark bounced back from early foul trouble to finish with 30 points for Converge. Justine Baltazar added a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Converge improved to 6-4 and tied idle TNT for third place in Group A. Its 152 points are the second-most this season, while its 53 in the fourth period, which broke open a 99-90 game, are a season high.

“We’re pretty much just trying to build momentum, especially going towards the playoffs,” said Gomez de Liano. He is looking ahead to the remaining elimination round games against Macau and TNT.

“I think we just wanna pretty much play the right way and hopefully continue in the next two games para maganda placing namin,” Gomez de Liano added. The rookie is aiming for a better spot in the standings.

Delta Pineda Wants More Defense as Titan Ultra Exits Playoff Race

Coach Delta Pineda was not fully satisfied despite the lopsided win. Converge nearly squandered an early 15-point lead in the second period, and Titan Ultra cut into a 20-point deficit in the third.

Pineda said Converge still has areas to fix. “There’s still more adjustment pa rin po na kailangang gawin. Nakita n’yo naman, first quarter, then second, third, nu’ng fourth ganu’n na naman,” he said.

“Parang ‘yung intensity kailangan pa rin na ma-maintain po namin, ‘yung intensity on defense,” added Pineda. “They can score. If they want to score, they can score.”

Pineda then addressed the lapses. “But may mga quarters na nag-re-relax po kapag maganda na ‘yung lead. Iyun ‘yung we need to adjust,” he said.

The loss, Titan Ultra’s eighth in 10 games, officially knocked it out of the playoff picture. Tirrell Brown finished with 31 points and nine rebounds on his 33rd birthday.

Joshua Munzon added 22 points, Aris Dionisio had 16 and Fran Yu dished out 13 assists. Titan Ultra lacked consistency on offense, especially from long distance, and committed 14 turnovers.

Those lapses also spoiled the debut of Raymond Valenzona, who stepped in as interim coach in place of Rensy Bajar. Titan Ultra was eliminated from playoff contention despite Brown’s big night.