MERALCO picked up its first win after a wire-to-wire victory over Columbian, 101-92, on Friday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Bolts led by as many as 17 points as they atoned for their overtime loss to Blackwater in the opener last Sunday.
Gani Lawal had 25 points and 27 rebounds, while Baser Amer had 21 markers including five threes for Meralco. Trevis Jackson also had a big game as the rookie had 17 points for the Bolts, who are still playing without newly-acquired center Raymond Almazan.
“It’s always good to get that first win under your belt,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “We lost a really tough game the last time out in overtime. We even had a chance to win it in regulation. But today, we played a lot better offensively and defensively.”
An 8-0 run in the third quarter allowed the Bolts to pull away from the Dyip while also weathering the storm after repeated rallies by their opponent that cut the deficit to single digits.
“I thought our teamwork on offense particularly with Gani not really dominating the offense so much this time with everybody sharing the basketball and everybody being the part of the offense, that really helped us in the game,” Black said.
Kyle Barone had 26 points and 16 rebounds, while CJ Perez had 22 points for the Dyip, who were unable to sustain their 8-0 start to the match.
The scores:
Meralco 101 – Lawal 25, Amer 21, Jackson 17, Newsome 12, Hodge 10, Hugnatan 5, Tolomia 4, Pinto 3, Salva 2, De Ocampo 2, Faundo 0, Caram 0, Quinto 0, Jamito 0.
Columbian 92 – Barone 26, Perez 22, McCarthy 13, Corpuz 11, Cahilig 11, Khobuntin 3, Agovida 3, Reyes 2, Calvo 1, Celda 0, Escoto 0, Tabi 0, Camson 0, Faundo 0.
Quarters: 23-18; 50-35; 79-71; 101-92.
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