PBA

Meralco stuns rival Barangay Ginebra in QF clash, nears semis seat

Meralco Bolts pulled off a stunner against higher seed Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in Game 1 of their best-of-three quarterfinals series, 93-82, to move closer to a semifinals seat in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday.

Aaron Black paced Meralco with a team-high 25 points, three rebounds, and four assists as the team moved on cusp of moving on to the next round.

The Bolts turned a 53-43 halftime lead to a huge 60-44 cushion early in the third after Black led their opening rally before the Gin Kings leaned on to Scottie Thompson and Stanley Pringle as they cut their deficit, 62-55.

But a furious 18-7 closing run capped by a buzzer-beater jumper from Allein Maliksi saw Meralco's lead ballooned to its biggest in the frame, 80-62, as the two teams headed to the payoff period.

Meralco never lost grip of the lead with Bong Quinto going for a slam to put the game away, 91-70, with 7:58 still to play.

Scottie Thompson tried to single-handedly rally Ginebra, draining back-to-back three-pointers to bring them down by 15, 91-76, but Meralco held on to complete the victory.

Chris Newsome provided the added lift to Meralco after notching 19 points, nine rebounds, and six assists while Allein Maliksi dropped 17 markers and five boards in the win.

Thompson starred for Ginebra with a double-double of 29 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals while Christian Standhardinger put up a 12-point outing.

Meralco will look to send Ginebra packing on Friday at 3 p.m. in Game 2 of the series. A win will assure the Bolts a semis ticket where they will face either San Miguel or Blackwater.

—MGP, GMA News