Blackwater welcomes morale-boosting rout of Converge

MANILA, Philippines -- Blackwater's lopsided win over the Converge FiberXers in Wednesday's PBA Philippine Commissioners' Cup action was not expected, Bossing head coach Jeff Cariaso said.

Cariaso, who previously coached Converge, guided the Bossing to a 103-84 win over the FiberXers Wednesday night.

They led by as much as 27 points.

"The Jet" said that the composition of Blackwater is still somewhat similar to their roster last year.

In the season-ending PBA Governors' Cup, the Bossing finished dead-last with a 1-10 win-loss slate.

"To be honest, no [I did not expect the big victory]. We know the state of the team. We know that the current lineup is pretty much almost the same lineup last year, so they were part of that grueling year last year," Cariaso told reporters.

The coach bared that the team, which saw limited success in the league, had been working on improving its culture and mindset.

"So the mindset is crucial on how you want to change that has been our focus the last three, four months. It is helping improve the culture, so you can improve the mindset," he added.

Guard Rey Suerte, for his part, said the big win would really help the team's morale.

"Of course, the morale in this conference will be higher. It is a big help, big factor to our confidence," Suerte said in Filipino.

Cariaso, meanwhile, lauded the team's versatility and two-way prowess.

Blackwater recorded seven blocks and five steals in the game.

They were also able to limit Converge to 33 percent field goal shooting.

"I think what happened today was guys were playing a little bit more free, guys are playing together and guys like [Suerte] stepping up on both ends. That is crucial, you have to be able to play both ends," the coach said.

"That is my challenge to everyone on our team."

Blackwater will try and win their second straight game against the Meralco Bolts on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.