ANTIPOLO – Suleiman Braimoh churned in another impressive showing in leading Meralco to an 91-84 win over Blackwater on Saturday in the 2023-24 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center.
Braimoh scored 40 points, matching his output in Meralco’s first game against Rain or Shine, to lift the Bolts to a 2-0 record to start the conference.
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The Nigerian-American import also nailed a fastbreak dunk with 1:07 remaining in the game that stretched the Meralco lead to 87-80, finally putting Blackwater away.
Blackwater dropped to 1-1, missing out on a chance to go unbeaten for the first two games of a conference for the first time since the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup.
Braimoh carried the load for Meralco to become the only double-digit scorer for his team. He also grabbed 16 rebounds and tallied three steals, although the win was in no way easy even after holding a lead as high as 14.
“Credit to Blackwater. What was nice was we grinded it out. When you grind out games like that, it really puts our guys in a situation to have an opportunity to build character,” said Meralco coach Luigi Trillo.
“Su got his points but the other guys stepped up and helped him out. They found him and made sure they were there for him. It’s just not Su,” said Trillo.
Cliff Hodge added nine points and 13 rebounds, while Bong Quinto also had nine points for the Bolts, who missed Allein Maliksi after he left the game with a broken nose.
Chris Ortiz had 29 points while Rey Suerte had 10 for Blackwater, which came within five in the endgame, 85-80, only for Braimoh to douse the comeback.
The scores:
Meralco 91 – Braimoh 40, Hodge 9, Quinto 9, Dario 8, Black 7, Newsome 7, Maliksi 4, Caram 3, Almazan 2, Rios 2, Pasaol 0, Bates 0.
Blackwater 84 – Ortiz 29, Suerte 10, Ayonayon 9, Hill 8, Banal 8, Casio 6, Rosario 6, David 5, Ilagan 2, Guinto 1, DiGregorio 0, McCarthy 0, Escoto 0.
Quarters: 28-25; 47-42; 70-64; 91-84.
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