Meralco bounces back to take series lead against Ginebra in PBA Govs Cup Finals

The Meralco Bolts went on a late charge to take the series lead in the PBA Governors' Cup Finals with an 83-74 win over Barangay Ginebra in Game 3 on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

With Meralco only leading by three points with 5:21 left, the Bolts went on a late rally, sparked by Chris Newsome and Tony Bishop to take the win.

Newsome and Bishop combined for 50 points, with Bishop posting 30 points on top of 16 rebounds. Newsome posted 20 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists in the win while Allein Maliksi added 10 points.

Justin Brownlee was limited to 19 points on top of 15 boards, while Scottie Thompson made 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Ginebra had the 48-40 lead at the end of the first half, until the Bolts limited them to just 13 points in the third quarter and took a 62-61 lead at the end of the third period.

Meralco climbed from being down 13 points with Ginebra having its biggest lead, 43-30, near the halfway mark of the second quarter.

The series will resume on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The scores:

Meralco 83 – Bishop 30, Newsome 20, Maliksi 10, Black 8, Almazan 6, Quinto 3, Banchero 2, Hugnatan 2, Baclao 2, Hodge 0.

Ginebra 74 – Brownlee 19, Standhardinger 17, Thompson 11, Tenorio 11, Chan 9, Pinto 5, Devance 2, Tolentino 0, Mariano 0.

Quarters: 22-27, 40-48, 62-61, 83-74

—JMB, GMA News