PBA: RJ Abarrientos, Riley Grigsby power Barangay Ginebra past undermanned Meralco

RJ Abarrientos and import Riley Grigsby powered Barangay Ginebra past an undermanned Meralco squad, 84-75, in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Abarrientos scored a conference-high 27 points, knocking down three triples to go along with three rebounds, three assists, and a steal, while Grigsby finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal.

Abarrientos also surpassed his conference scoring average of 11.7 points per game after totaling just 35 points in his first three games.

Barangay Ginebra pulled away in the second period, outscoring the Bolts, 26-19, to build a 44-29 halftime lead.

From there, Barangay Ginebra held off the Bolts despite Meralco's late push, with the Bolts outscoring the Gin Kings, 25-19, in the fourth quarter.

“It was a real grind it out game. Really proud of our guys for sticking their nose into it and really grinding this thing out,” Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said.

“It wasn’t a pretty game by any means. We know we’re not playing pretty basketball yet. We hope that we can be a little bit more pleasing to the eye as we progress.”

No other Barangay Ginebra player scored in double figures. Stephen Holt had eight points, seven rebounds, three steals, and an assist, while Troy Rosario and Japeth Aguilar chipped in seven points apiece.

Import Antonio Hester led the Bolts with 24 points, 18 rebounds, an assist, and a steal, while Chris Banchero paced the locals with 15 points, five assists, and three rebounds for the undermanned Meralco squad, which missed the services of CJ Cansino (right hip flexor strain), Jason Brickman (flu), Bong Quinto (vertigo), and Raymond Almazan (back spasms).

With the win, Barangay Ginebra improved to 2-2, while Meralco slipped to 2-3.

Scores:

Barangay Ginebra 84 – Abarrientos 27, Grigsby 25, Holt 8, J.Aguilar 7, Rosario 7, Go 5, Cu 3, Gray 2, Abis 0, Pinto 0, Carino 0, Torres 0.

Meralco 75 – Hester 24, Banchero 15, Bates 8, Mocon 8, Newsome 7, Maliksi 6, Hodge 4, Rios 3, Black 0, Comia 0, Caram 0.

Quarters: 18-10, 44-29, 65-50, 84-75.

—JKC, GMA News