PBA: Meralco rallies late, completes comeback vs Barangay Ginebra

The Meralco Bolts erased a 16-point deficit to defeat Barangay Ginebra, 89-75, in the PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts outscored Ginebra 33-14 in the fourth quarter alone to eventually secure the win.

Barangay Ginebra led by as much as 16 points, 54-38, following a triple by Norbert Torres at the 5:46 mark of the third period, before the Bolts trimmed the deficit to within five, 61-56, by the end of the said frame.

Meralco continued to inch closer in the fourth until they took the lead, 67-66, behind consecutive triples from Aaron Black and Chris Newsome. Stephen Holt’s free throws from a Brandon Bates foul then handed the lead back to Barangay Ginebra.

The Bolts then went on a 16-1 run to pull away, 83-69, with 1:32 remaining in regulation, enough for Meralco to eventually claim the win.

Chris Newsome led Meralco with 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a steal, while CJ Cansino added 18 points as Meralco improved to 2-2.

RJ Abarrientos scored 14 points, while Japeth Aguilar and Stephen Holt had 13 and 12 points, respectively, as Barangay Ginebra slipped to 1-2.

Scores:

Meralco 89 – Newsome 19, Cansino 18, Quinto 11, Hodge 8, Black 8, Maliksi 7, Almazan 6, Banchero 6, Bates 6, Jose 0, Pascual 0.

Barangay Ginebra 75 – Abarrientos 14, J.Aguilar 13, Holt 12, Gray 10, Estil 9, Thompson 6, Rosario 5, Torres 3, Pinto 3, Cu 0, David 0.

Quarters: 16-20, 30-42, 56-61, 89-75.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News