MERALCO snapped Barangay Ginebra's winning run in the PBA On Tour behind a 106-93 win at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion on Wednesday night.
UST alum Allein Maliksi sparked the Bolts' early breakaway to set the tone for the wire-to-wire victory.
Maliksi went 3-of-7 from three-point range to finish with 23 points and seven rebounds, helping Meralco improve to 5-3 in the preseason.
The veteran Meralco wingman had 13 points in the first quarter alone which ended with the Bolts on top, 37-21.
The largest lead was at 53-34.
The loss halted the three-game winning streak of the Kings, who now stand at 4-4.
"It was a good homecoming for Allein," said Meralco coach Luigi Trillo. "Good for Allein. Good for (Aljun) Mariano. I'm sure they have fond memories here."
Bong Quinto finished 5-of-7 from beyond the arc for 22 points, while Cliff Hodge had 15 points, Frankie Johnson with 14, and Raymond Almazan with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Von Pessumal had a game-high 26 points for Barangay Ginebra and Jeremiah Gray followed with 15 and 10 rebounds.
The scores:
Meralco (106) - Maliksi 23, Quinto 22, Hodge 15, Johnson 14, Almazan 13, Rios 6, Dario 5, Pascual 4, Jose 2, Torres 2, Pasaol 0.
Ginebra (93) - Pessumal 26, Gray 15, Onwubere 14, David 12, Aguilar 8, Mariano 8, Pinto 5, Aurin 3, Gumaru 2.
Quarterscores: 37-21; 57-46; 91-76; 106-93.
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