PBA: Ross' heave falls short as Ginebra hangs on to defeat Meralco

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel saw their 21-point lead slashed down to three, but Chris Ross' game-tying heave fell short as Ginebra held on to defeat the Meralco Bolts, 84-81, on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

 

"It was a scary win," said Ginebra head coach Alfrancis Chua. "I kept on telling them defense magpapanalo sa amin, di offense."

 

Ginebra import Vernon Macklin was the best player of the game with 23 points, 22 rebs, and five assists.

 

As a result of the Ginebra win, they and their foes the Bolts tied each other in the standings with 4-5 records. Also with the same cards are the San Mig Coffee Mixers and the Air21 Express, creating a logjam in the middle of the standings. 

 

After Macklin missed two free throws at the 1:03 mark of the fourth quarter, Ronjay Buenafe's three-ball attempt caught nothing but air, as  Chris Ellis converted on a breakaway lay-up at the other end, putting Ginebra ahead, 83-76, with 33 seconds remaining in the game.

 

Meralco import Eric Dawson would not quit though, hitting two more free throws, as Rudy Hatfield was whistled for an offensive foul giving Meralco another possession. A Ross triple off the inbounds cut the lead to two, 83-81, with 25.6 remaining, as the Bolts' defense forced Tenorio to call a timeout.

 

Meralco was then forced to foul Tenorio with 9.7 seconds remaining and the veteran floor general managed a split, 84-81.  Without any timeouts left though, Meralco had to run the length of the court for a shot to tie the game. Ross went for a heave, but his try went short, giving Ginebra the victory.  

 

The Barangay had a hot start, with Macklin hitting seven of the team's 17 points as they led 17-6 early on in the first. An LA Tenorio trey with two minutes remaining made it 20-6, before Eric Dawson hit a turnaround. A Macklin slam had Ginebra up 22-8, before Reynel Hugnatan ended the quarter with a conversion in the paint, 22-10.

 

A Cardona trey at the 7:28 mark cut the Ginebra lead to 10, 26-16, but their foes responded with an 11-0 spurt fueled by Rob Labagala and Chris Ellis. A Labagala drive at the 3:37 mark gave Ginebra its largest lead, 37-16, before Meralco went on its own 9-0 run. A pair of hits from Rudy Hatfield, along with another slam from Macklin canceled out a couple of jumpers from Dawson, as Ginebra held a 42-29 lead at the half.

 

BGSM sustained their lead early in the third, before Cliff Hodge and Mark Cardona cut their deficit to 10. Meralco could not get any closer until the 2:48 mark, when Dawson and Reynel Hugnatan made it a six-point affair, 60-54. 

 

After a split by Billy Mamaril from the line, Ronjay Buenafe hit a three, cutting the lead to four, but Macklin strung three points together in the final minute to keep Ginebra on top, 64-57.

 

A Macklin follow-up at the 8:35 mark brought Ginebra lead back up to nine, only for Sunday Salvacion to hit a three with 4:46 remaining cut the lead to seven. Mark Caguioa responded with two charities, 76-67, but Buenafe imposed himself in the next few plays, hitting a three and a breakaway lay-up to cut the lead to five, only for Tenorio to connect on a drive. 

 

Meralco tried to employ a "hack-a-Macklin", taking a chance and sending Ginebra's import to the line, where he would split on several occasions. Back-to-back misses from beyond the arc from Buenafe and Salvacion seemed to have secured the game for Ginebra, but four points from Dawson had the Bolts creeping closer at that point, 81-76. - AMD, GMA News

 

 

The scores:

 

GINEBRA 84 - Macklin 23, Caguioa 21, Ellis 11, Labagala 8, Hatfield 7, Tenorio 6, Mamaril 3, Helterbrand 3, Baracael 2, Jensen 0, Wilson 0, Raymundo 0.

 

MERALCO 81 - Dawson 31, Hodge 18, Buenafe 8, Hugnatan 6, Salvacion 6, Ross 5, Cardona 5, Manuel 2, Vanlandingham 0, Timberlake 0, Reyes 0, Artadi 0.

 

Quarters: 22-10, 42-29, 64-57, 84-81