This championship series is now down to a virtual best-of-three.
Notwithstanding a bleak third quarter, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel flipped the script late to hang on against the Meralco Bolts in Game Four of another thrilling Friday night action, 88-86, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Down by 16 to start the final frame, Ginebra clawed their way back quickly to tie things up at 76 with a 16-2 blast. During the run, a vintage performance between the duo of Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand ignited the silenced crowd.
As both teams exchanged crucial blows in the dying moments of regulation, Ginebra managed to carve out a five-point lead with 2:40 left at 85-80. Afterwards, Meralco countered with a quick 6-0 zip via Reynel Hugnatan’s lone triple of the match.
With under a minute to play, the ball was in the hands of Joe Devance, who delivered a big turnaround basket to bring back the lead to Ginebra for good. However, panic hit the Ginebra side as Tenorio missed two big free throws after Allen Durnham clunked a potential game-winning three-pointer for Meralco. With Ginebra leading 88-86, they successfully clamped down on the rookie Chris Newsome, who clanked the potential game-tying jumper at the end of regulation.
Ginebra survived a massive 39-point third quarter surge by the Bolts, which included a stretch of 16 unanswered points. Coming off a splendid first half wherein they led by double-digits, Ginebra became gun-shy in a forgettable third frame against the upstart Bolts, who relied on their transition attack for easy points.
Looking for something to start a fightback, Coach Tim Cone resorted to the Caguioa-Helterbrand tandem to start the fourth. The move paid dividends instantly, as the two woke up the stunned squad.
“We had a point in the game where we got mesmerized by Meralco,” said Coach Tim Cone after the pulsating match. “Mark and Jayjay brought the crowd in. They’re hungry and the gave us a chance. Wow.”
But at the end of the game, it still boiled down to their defense, which Cone emphasized. He credited the Bolts for their pressure, but Ginebra won tonight in the battle of adjustments.
“Meralco had a good job defending us and we have to find something that will work for us. We’re the best defensive team, we’re kinda getting away from that and we need to get back to it.”
Five Ginebra players ended up scoring in double figures, with Japeth Aguilar’s 19 points and LA Tenorio’s 12 leading the way. Also, Caguioa and Helterbrand combined for 20 points, with both guards shooting 4/8 from the floor.
Durham finished with 34 points for the Bolts, along with 20 rebounds and three assists. Newly-minted Rookie of the Year Chris Newsome provided a stellar night despite the last-second miss, with 15 points and seven dimes.
The series will continue this Sunday in its pivotal Game 5, still at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The scores:
Ginebra (88) – Aguilar 19, Tenorio 12, Helterbrand 11, Brownlee 10, Mercado 10, Caguioa 8, Cruz 7, Devance 7, Thompson 4, Marcelo 0.
Meralco (86) – Durham 34, Newsome 15, Caram 8, Al-Hussaini 8, Hodge 6, Hugnatan 5, Nabong 4, Uyloan 3, Amer 3, Faundo 0, Alapag 0, Guevarra 0.
Quarter scores: 20-13, 46-35, 58-74, 88-86.
