Meralco draws first blood vs Barangay Ginebra in Governors' Cup finals

The Meralco Bolts drew first blood against Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Governors' Cup Finals, 104-91, in front of a crowd of 12, 475 on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts banked on strong second and third quarter performances where they limited the Gin Kings to fewer than 20 points in each frame.

Meralco registered its biggest lead early in the fourth period, 85-64, which gave them enough cushion to take the Game 1 win.

Allein Maliksi waxed hot from beyond the arc as he drilled five-from-seven triples from his 22-point output. Meralco reinforcement Tony Bishop, meanwhile, tallied 20 points and 12 rebounds. Cliff Hodge chipped in 17 points.

Meanwhile, Ginebra import Justin Brownlee had 27 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Christian Standhardinger posted 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Scottie Thompson registered a triple-double 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the losing effort.

Game 2 will be played on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Scores:

Meralco 104 – Maliksi 22, Bishop 20, Hodge 17, Black 12, Newsome 8, Quinto 6, Belo 5, Banchero 2, Jose 2, Caram 0, Baclao 0, Canete 0, Pasaol 0, Jamito 0.

Ginebra 91 – Brownlee 27, Standhardinger 20, Thompson 19, Tolentino 6, Chan 5, Tenorio 5, Caperal 4, Ayaay 3, Pinto 2, Mariano 0, Onwubere 0, Devance 0, Enriquez 0.

Quarters: 25-23, 53-42, 78-60, 104-91.

—MGP, GMA News