MANILA — The Meralco Bolts erased an 18-point third-quarter deficit to score a stunning 104-101 victory over the San Miguel Beermen Sunday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum to emerge as the top seed at the end of the PBA Governors Cup elimination round.
The Bolts now head to the quarterfinals with a 9-2 win-loss card. TNT (8-3) wound up as the second seed, with Ginebra (8-3) at third and Star (7-4) at fourth. These four teams will enjoy a twice-to-beat edge over their rivals. The quarterfinal pairings are: Meralco vs. Blackwater (8th seed); TNT vs. Rain or Shine (7th seed); Ginebra vs. SMB (6th seed) and Star vs. NLEX (5th seed).
It was a sorry loss for the Beermen who appeared to have the game under control, leading by 71-53 in the third quarter. The win marked the first time Meralco defeated SMB in two years.
Meralco’s Allen Durham once again showed why he is the reigning Best Import as he exploded for 35 points on top of 13 rebounds, eight assists, two blocks, and one steal in over 43 minutes of action. He put an exclamation mark on his exploits with a putback off his own miss that allowed Meralco to grab the lead, 102-101, with 28 seconds left. He then sealed the win with two free throws.
SMB’s Alex Cabagnot tried to send the game into overtime with a hurried three-point shot that was off as the final buzzer sounded.
Jared Dillinger added 16 points while Chris Newsome and Baser Amer chipped in 14 and 13 markers, respectively, for Meralco.
June Mar Fajardo led SMB with 26 points and eight boards. However, he committed a late turnover at crunch-time and was a step late in foiling a Durham layup that gave Meralco a 100-98 lead with 59 ticks left. Chris Ross banged in a three-pointer to give SMB its last taste of the lead. Durham responded with his late-game heroics to foil SMB’s comeback bid.
Marcio Lassiter and import Terrence Watson finished with 18 points apiece for SMB while Cabagnot and Ross added 16 and 10 markers in a losing effort.
Star 101, NLEX 93
The Star Hotshots overhauled a 15-point deficit in the first half to defeat the NLEX Road Warriors, 101-93, to gain a twice-to-beat advantage as the fourth seed in the quarterfinals.
The Hotshots ended up tied with the Road Warriors at 7-4 at the end of eliminations, but the Road Warriors fell to fifth seed due to Star’s superior quotient and winner-over-the-other rule. The two teams will meet again in the quarterfinals with NLEX needing to beat Star twice to advance to the semis.
Star coach Chito Victolero sprang a surprise by unleashing veteran gunner but seldom used PJ Simon as a starter. Simon responded by scoring a team-high 16 points in the first three quarters, along with four assists, and one rebound in 20 minutes.
But it was Paul Lee, together with Mark Barroca, who delivered the biggest shots in the final period that allowed Star to pull away. Lee finished with 15 points while Barroca had 13. The duo combined for 13 points during Star’s fourth quarter rampage.
Import Kristofer Acox and Aldrech Ramos chipped in 14 markers apiece. Acox scored eight of points in the third quarter when the Hotshots outscored the Road Warriors, 39-25, to turn an eight-point halftime deficit into a six-point lead heading into the final frame. The American import who played for Iceland’s national team also had 10 rebounds and two steals.
Aaron Fuller led NLEX with 16 points and 17 boards, while Larry Fonacier added 12 markers. Those points allowed Fonacier to join Star’s Marc Pingris as the latest additions to the 5,000-point club.
Games Wednesday: (Quarterfinals): TNT Ka Tropa Texters (2nd seed, twice-to-beat) vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (7th seed) and Barangay Ginebra Kings (3rd seed, twice-to-beat) vs San Miguel Beermen (6th seed).
