MANILA, Philippines – Converge leaned on Justin Arana late to survive Blackwater in a gritty 92-90 win and fuel its playoff bid in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, July 20.

Arana came up with two crucial buckets and a clutch swat in the final 35 seconds to finish with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block as the FiberXers ended the elimination round with a 5-6 record.

Picked fourth overall by Converge in the recent draft, the rookie big man scored a layup to knot the score at 90-90, denied a JVee Casio equalizer, and sank the game-winning bucket with 10 ticks left.

Arana also sealed the victory with a rebound after Barkley Eboña bungled a point-blank layup the skidding Bossing needed to force overtime.

Maverick Ahanmisi showed the way with 18 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds for the FiberXers, who earned at least a playoff for the last quarterfinal berth.

If Rain or Shine (4-6) falls to Magnolia (6-3) later on Wednesday, Converge, Blackwater (5-5), and NLEX (5-5) will advance to the quarterfinals.

Abu Tratter chimed in 10 points and 10 rebounds for the FiberXers, while Alec Stockton made his presence felt with 9 points in the nip-and-tuck affair that saw 20 lead changes.

The Bossing grabbed an 87-84 lead off a Casio three-pointer before Arana and Stockton scored 4 straight points to give their side a one-point edge.

Casio completed a three-point play in the next possession to cap his 16-point performance for a 90-88 lead, but Arana played spoiler as Blackwater absorbed its fourth straight loss.

Top pick Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser delivered 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Bossing, who suddenly fell into a slump after a sensational 5-1 start.

Baser Amer and Rey Suerte fired 14 and 12 points, respectively, in the loss.

The Scores

Converge 92 – Ahanmisi 18, Arana 13, Tratter 10, Stockton 9, Bulanadi 8, Ilagan 8, DiGregorio 7, Hill 6, Tolomia 4, Murrell 4, Adamos 2, Racal 2, Ambohot 1, Browne 0.

Blackwater 90 – Ganuelas-Rosser 20, Casio 16, Amer 14, Suerte 12, Sena 9, Ebona 6, Taha 4, Melton 4, McCarthy 3, Publico 2, Ayonayon 0, Escoto 0, Dyke 0.

Quarters: 28-23, 46-47, 63-70, 92-90.

– Rappler.com