The Meralco Bolts further boosted their chances of making it to the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup playoffs at the expense of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 91-82, Sunday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Orangemen pulled away from the Elasto Painters’ clutches late in the final frame through a 16-3 scoring blitz – ended by Allen Durham’s lay-up – to post a commanding 90-77 lead with less than two minutes left to play.
The Bolts have improved to 3-6 and have moved to the ninth spot of the standings.
“Since our past games, our defense have been solid. Everybody’s rotation well. We made some mistake[s] but our defense was really good,” lauded Meralco head coach Norman Black. “And on the other side, we had a balanced scoring.
“It’s just another step. We now have twelve days off before facing San Miguel, and that’s gonna be a tough one because they’re battling also for a position,” he added. “I’m really happy and proud of my team for continuing to fight.”
Durham paced the Bolts with 19 points, 20 rebounds, and six assists. Mike Tolomia delivered greatly off the bench with 17 points and six assists, while Cliff Hodge continued his solid contributions with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Chris Newsome supplied 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Anjo Caram and Reynel Hugnatan chipped in 11 and 10 markers.
Norbert Torres led the now 2-6 Elasto Painters with 16 points and six rebounds. Terrence Watson made 14 points and 13 boards, while Rey Nambatac and Ed Daquioag had 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Rain or Shine played without Beau Belga due to a foot injury.
Meralco will battle the San Miguel Beermen on November 3, Saturday, still at the Big Dome, while Rain or Shine will look to bounce back versus the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Wednesday, October 24, at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The Scores:
Meralco 91 – Durham 19, Tolomia 17, Hodge 14, Newsome 12, Caram 11, Hugnatan 10, Salva 4, Amer 2, Jamito 2, Ballesteros 0.
Rain or Shine 82 – Torres 16, Watson 14, Nambatac 13, Daquioag 10, Ponferada 7, Ahanmisi 7, Yap 7, Norwood 6, Borboran 2.
Quarterscores: 19-19, 44-43, 65-65, 91-82.
