BONG Quinto scored six of Meralco's last seven points to complete an 86-83 grind out win over Terrafirma in the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Quinto finished with 18 points including 16 in the second half to help the Bolts win a second straight game - a fitting follow up to their 91-73 drubbing of Barangay Ginebra.
Quinto's three pointer with 2:01 to go gave the team the lead for good, 82-81, as the Bolts moved back to .500 (3-3) and remained in the playoff frame.
Quinto, who also had seven rebounds and four rebounds and was a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point range, deferred everything to his teammates.
"Basketball ito hindi lang naman ito isang player lang, so pag naglaro kami as a team, sa tingin ko maganda yung resulta every game," said the Meralco guard.
Heroes were actually aplenty for Meralco, who also got solid games from back up big man Norbert Torres, and starting center Raymond Almazan.
Torres had 15 points and five rebounds, and was also 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, all of which came in a 12-3 Meralco run to grab a 79-74 lead.
Almazan added 14 points, while Chris Newsome, Jolo Mendoza, and Aaron Black combined for 21 points, with Newsome adding eight rebounds and eight assists.
Cliff Hodge came with just four points, but grabbed two crucial offensive rebounds in the final minute including one off a missed foul shot by Quinto with six seconds remaining that preserved the win for the Bolts.
Juami Tiongson and Stephen Holt each had 20 points for Terrafirma, which fell to an even 3-3 record in a tie with Meralco.
The 5-foot-10 Tiongson surprisingly, also led the Dyip in rebounding with 10 while adding six assists.
Holt had five assists and his completed three-point play with 2:19 remaining gave the Dyip their final taste of the lead, 81-79, before Quinto took over the game for Meralco.
The scores
Meralco (86) - Quinto 18, Torres 15, Almazan 14, Black 7, Mendoza 7, Newsome 7, Banchero 6, Maliksi 6, Hodge 4, Pascual 2, Jose 0, Rios 0.
Terrafirmia (83) - Tiongson 20, Holt 20, Gomez de Liano 11, Ramos 11, Sangalang 6, Go 4, Camson 4, Carino 4, Cahilig 3, Mina 0, Calvo 0, Alolino 0.
Quarterscores: 19-25; 39-46; 63-65; 86-83.
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