PBA: Arboleda re-energizes Barako Bull; Energy zap Meralco Bolts

Wynne Arboleda turned back the hands of time and took charge in Barako Bull's huge 89-82 win over Meralco Saturday night in a PBA Commissioner's Cup road game in Tubod, Lanao del Norte. Arboleda fired four booming three-pointers in a sizzling fourth-quarter performance that capped the Energy's big comeback from 15-points down at the Mindanao Civic Center. The second of those four three-pointers ignited a telling 11-2 run that had the Energy taking control of the match. By the time the veteran point guard hit his final basket from beyond the arc, Barako Bull had turned a slim 72-70 lead into an 83-72 spread with four minutes to go. Arboleda finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range, complementing Rodney White's all-around game—a triple double—of 18 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. The Energy improved to 3-4 to keep their slim hopes of advancing into the playoffs of the mid-season tournament. Their victims dropped to 3-5. The loss snapped the Bolts' two-game winning run. Meralco import Earl Barron's buzzer-beating jumper gave the Bolts a 43-28 lead at the break. The Bolts limited the Energy to five points in the final five minutes of the second quarter for that 15-point spread. But the Energy—behind Arboleda, White, Don Allado, Danny Seigle and two-time league Most Valuable Player Willie Miller—came back strong in the third and were just down by one, 60-59, entering the final canto. Miller finished with 17 points, while Seigle added eight markers. Baron had a game-high 28 markers for the Bolts, who failed to get offensive production from Cardona. Cardona, the prolific shooting guard out of La Salle, was held to just eight points after averaging 25 in Meralco's last two outings. — JVP, GMA News