MANILA — The Meralco Bolts bucked the absence of three key players to beat the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 107-104, in the PBA Governors’ Cup Friday night.
The Bolts showed steady hands despite missing the services of injured Cliff Hodge and the backcourt duo of Baser Amer and Mike Tolomia, who are with the Gilas Pilipinas team in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Import Allen Durham did another yeoman’s job, delivering 33 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists to lead Meralco to its fifth victory in six games.
Garvo Lanete stepped up big time in the absence of Amer and Tolomia, banging in 27 points, including six three-pointers on top of four boards, two assists, and two steals.
Chris Newsome added 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds, six assists and a stunning seven steals. Reynel Hugnatan chipped in 15 markers.
The Bolts razed a 15-point third quarter deficit, 62-77, scoring 12 straight points to start the final quarter. But after Meralco erected a 96-87 lead, the Fuel Masters responded with a 12-3 explosion to tie the game at 99-all with less than 3 minutes left. Durham then scored on a short jumper that gave the lead back to the Bolts.
With Meralco up, 107-104, new Phoenix import Brandon Brown tried to send the game into overtime, but his desperation three-pointer missed its mark as the final buzzer sounded. Brown, who replaced the injured Eugene Phelps, led the Fuel Masters with 38 points and nine boards.
New trade acquisition Jeff Chan, formerly with Rain or Shine, made a splash in his Phoenix debut, posting 27 points, five assists, four rebounds, and four steals.
Phoenix badly missed the production of ace gunner Matthew Wright, who is still with the Gilas Pilipinas squad in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon. The loss was the fourth straight for the Fuel Masters after they started the conference with back-to-back wins.
Blackwater 107, NLEX 106
The Blackwater Elite brought the rising NLEX Road Warriors back to earth with a thrilling 107-106 victory, their second straight after a 0-3 start.
Roi Sumang came off the bench to score a whopping career-high 32 points, on 12-of-20 shooting, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, to lead Blackwater.
In just his second game with the Elite, import Bill Walker tormented NLEX, his former team, with 29 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. Walker ensured his team’s victory with a block on NLEX’s JR Quinahan just before the final buzzer sounded.
Mike Digregorio added 18 points for Blackwater, including 4-of-7 from three-point distance.
NLEX absorbed only its second loss in seven games. Had they won, the Road Warriors would have clinched a berth in the quarterfinals.
Kevin Alas led the Road Warriors with 19 points, 11 boards and three assists. Import Aaron Fuller and Quinahan added 13 points apiece. Juami Tiongson and Rabeh Al-Hussaini dished out 11 markers each while Larry Fonacier chipped in 10 points.
Games Sunday: GlobalPort Batang Pier (1-2) vs. KIA Picanto (0-6) and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2-2) vs. TNT KaTropa Texters (2-1).
