PBA: Meralco survives Barako Bull in 2OT

Published October 22, 2014 6:56pm

Hodge and Hugnatan dominated down low for Meralco. KC Cruz

The Meralco Bolts gifted new coach Norman Black a win in his first game at the helm, but not before surviving a tough Barako Bull squad in double overtime, 112-108, in the 2015 Philippine Cup on Wednesday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

"That was a well-earned victory for us today. We really needed to work hard to get that win," said Black, who replaced Ryan Gregorio as Meralco coach.

"It's a good start for us, it's the start we're looking for."

Veteran forward Reynel Hugnatan scored 28 points, including two free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining to ice the game for the Bolts.

Newly-acquired Sean Anthony added 14 points and nine rebounds while Cliff Hodge chipped in 10 and 16 for Meralco, which drew double-figures scoring from five different players. That made up for the scoring woes of top gun Gary David, who finished with just six points after going 2-of-6 in 13 minutes of action.

Chico Lanete led Barako Bull with 21 points, including a buzzer-beating floater that sent the game into a second overtime. JC Intal added 20 points.

The loss spoiled the PBA head coaching debut of Koy Banal. A longtime assistant coach at Purefoods, Petron, and Barako Bull, he took over the team replacing Siot Tanquingcen before the season.

Barako's hot start

Barako Bull had a hot start, leading by as much as 15 points in the second quarter, 43-28. But Gilas members David and Jared Dillinger helped spark a Meralco comeback capped by a Rey Guevarra slam on the break that hit the rim but trickled in after the bounce.

Meralco then sprang into a 20-6 blitz sparked by Anthony's consecutive baskets to seize the lead, 65-60. But Willie Wilson waxed hot to give the lead back to Barako Bull, which held a 76-71 edge going into the final period.

The Bolts took control, 86-80, with 5:51 left on a free throw from Simon Atkins. But Barako Bull responded with a 10-2 run capped by a jumper from rookie Jake Pascual to take the upper hand once more, 90-88, with 2:21 remaining.

A couple of plays later, David saved the day for Meralco, stealing the ball off Denok Miranda and drawing a foul to tie the game with 1:44 left. Neither team scored the rest of the way, resulting in the first overtime.

The game remained tight in the extra period, but Meralco managed to pull ahead, 101-99, with 5.3 seconds left. But Lanete escaped the defense with a crossover for a quick layup to keep Barako alive.

Hodge and Hugnatan took charge in the dying minutes of the second overtime to bag the win for Meralco. — JST, GMA News

The scores:

MERALCO 112 - Hugnatan 28, Anthony 14, Wilson 13, Atkins 10, Hodge 10, Ferriols 10, Dillinger 7, David 6, Cortez 4, Sena 4, Guevarra 4, Morrison 2, Buenafe 0, Ildefonso 0, Macapagal 0.

BARAKO 108 - Lanete 21, Intal 20, Wilson 16, Miranda 15, Garcia 14, Lastimosa 6, Pennisi 5, Marcelo 4, Pascual 4, Fortuna 3, Salva 0, Salvador 0, Paredes 0.

Quarters: 19-25, 45-54, 71-76, 90-90, 101-101, 112-108

Tags: meralcobolts, barakobullenergycola, pba