PBA: Wise free throw lifts Barako past Meralco in conference opener

Barako Bull Energy, the first team to be eliminated in the 2014 Commissioner’s Cup, got the first victory in the 2014 Governors’ Cup with an exciting 95-94 victory over the Meralco Bolts, Sunday afternoon at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Barako Bull import Eric Wise scored a go-ahead free throw with 1.3 seconds left on the clock after he was fouled by Meralco import Terrence Williams while taking a difficult baseline jumper. Knowing the Bolts did not have a timeout left, Wise deliberately missed his second attempt.

Cliff Hodge launched a missile of a shot after getting the rebound, but it bounced off the rim as the time expired.

Wise was named the Best Player of the Game as he chipped in 33 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists. Other than the game winning free throw, Wise also nailed the game’s most important baskets down the stretch for Barako Bull.

“Eric's not the flashiest import pero malalaman mo lang yung import pag dating sa game,” said returning PBA head coach Siot Tanquingcen of Barako Bull. The list of imports for the Governors’ Cup is impressive as there is a returning Best Import Awardee and multiple NBA veterans. Wise, a second-generation PBA import following his father Francois, more than held his own against his perceived high-caliber match-up in Williams.

The Meralco import scored 19 points and added 10 rebounds and five assists but he was horrible from the field. Williams connected on only four triples despite 20 tries. In total, the former NBA player only made 7-of-28 shots in his PBA debut.

Jeric Fortuna added 13 points for Barako Bull including a crucial triple. Carlo Lastimosa and Willy Wilson both chipped in 10 points. Dave Marcelo and JC Intal only scored a combined nine points in the game but they grabbed 24 big rebounds.

Cliff Hodge led the scoring for Meralco with 20 points while Gary David added 19.

Barako Bull, the team that finished ninth, raced to an early advantage as they looked fresh off their very long break.


The Energy established their first double-digit lead of the ball game after Keith Jensen connected  with a triple, while Denok Miranda found Carlo Lastimosa wide open for an early 23-11 lead. The Energy held a 28-17 lead after the first quarter.

The Barako Bull lead ballooned to 21 points in the second quarter after Willy Wilson scored a basket to make the count 46-25 in their favor. The Bolts, however, went on a quick 10-0 run to stay in the game. Barako Bull settled for a 52-39 lead after two quarters.

At the half, Barako Bull was led by Wise with 16 points while Jensen chipped in seven. Williams and Hodge paced Meralco with eight points each.

“I am grateful for the opportunity. It’s a good feeling,” said Tanquingcen who was an assistant coach to Bong Ramos in Barako Bull’s last campaign. After being released by the San Miguel Beermen, he got the chance to be a PBA head coach again with the Energy. “The best way to describe what we’re doing right now is just like a Chinese saying na 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' Nothing is a quick fix that’s for sure.”

The third quarter featured a torrid shooting display from the Bolts as Hodge, Gary David, Sunday Salvacion, and Chris Timberlake converted on long bombs to finish the third with Meralco holding a 70-68 advantage.

“They got hot. Williams was shooting threes, Hodge and Sunday were also shooting threes,” Tanquingcen recalled. “We just kept reminding the guys that those shots were challenged naman e, magaling lang talaga. I reminded them not to get frustrated and just keep doing what we need to do.”

The fourth quarter saw the Bolts building their own double-digit lead, but Carlo Lastimosa put together eight quick points to carry Barako Bull back into the game.

Meralco import Williams made two free throws at the 2:25 mark to give the Bolts an 87-85 edge. He missed his third free throw but the ball bounced to Meralco’s favor. However, instead of setting up their play again, Williams took a hurried step-back triple that did not even hit the rim.

Barako Bull made Williams pay as Wise tied it up on the ensuing possession with a jumper at the two-minute mark. Gary David and Wise exchanged baskets for an 89-all deadlock, but Williams broke it with a top of the key triple to give the Bolts a 92-89 lead at the 1:06 mark of the fourth.

The Meralco import showboated in front on the crowd, but Barako Bull only needed five seconds to tie the ball game with a Jeric Fortuna triple.

On the next play, Williams hogged the ball again and threw up a three-point shot that was way short to give Barako a shot at getting the lead.

Wise scored the go ahead basket as he converted on a hook shot to lead 94-92. David missed a game-tying layup on the other end as the Bolts were forced to foul Lastimosa with only 18 seconds left in the game. The young gun from College of St. Benilde cracked under pressure as he missed both free throws to give the Bolts a chance to win or tie the ball game.

Williams found himself double-teamed in the dying seconds of the game which forced him to throw an emergency pass to Sunday Salvacion. The dead-shot missed a potential go-ahead triple but the ball ended up with David who was fouled.

David made two free throws to tie the ball game at 94-all with 5.3 seconds left. - RAF, GMA News


The scores:

BARAKO 95 - Wise 33, Fortuna 13, Lastimosa 10, Wilson 10, Miranda 8, Jensen 7, Marcelo 6, Intal 3, Pennisi 3, Thiele 2, Deutchman 0.

MERALCO 94 - Hodge 20, Williams 19, David 19, Dillinger 8, Timberlake 6, Salvacion 6, Bringas 4, Hugnatan 4, Wilson 4, Ildefonso 2, Sena 2, Guevarra 0.

Quarterscores: 28-17, 52-39, 68-70, 95-94