Barangay Ginebra San Miguel displayed composure down the stretch to withstand a furious Meralco Bolts rally in the closing minutes, 82-79, in Game 2 of the 2016 OPPO PBA Governor’s Cup, Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Ginebra’s victory ties the best-of-seven series at one game apiece.
Import Justin Brownlee starred for the Gin Kings tonight with a double-double, scoring 32 points on 12 of 26 shooting from the field and grabbing down 12 boards.
Sol Mercado, who was clutch late in the fourth as his putback over three Bolts defenders broke the 79-all deadlock to bring Ginebra up 81-79, supplied 12 points along with six rebounds.
Ginebra utilized their inside game in the opening quarter, earning points from attacks to the basket that helped them gain the upper hand, 18-10, midway. The Bolts, down wide, found their stroke on offense and closed by a point, 20-19, but failed to capitalize and take the lead as Ginebra managed to hang on to a slim advantage, 24-21, to own the frame.
Meralco, by exercising their perimeter offense, quickly erased the deficit in the second chapter. They had their first taste of the lead, 32-30, which then turned to a wide 40-34 gap in the 3:32 mark. Ginebra came back strong and traded buckets with the Bolts, but Meralco successfully managed to wrap the first half ahead by just a point, 44-43.
From the solitary deficit, the Barangay went full blast in the third canto. Behind the trio of Brownlee, Mercado, and Japeth Aguilar, the Gin Kings were able to erect a 15-point lead, 63-48, with 5:39 left. The Bolts ably trimmed the deficit to seven, 65-58, but failed to chop it further, as Ginebra ended the third with a nine-point cushion, 69-60.
Down by ten early in the fourth, 73-63, Meralco unloaded a furious 13-2 rally sparked by Allen Durham to regain the lead once more, 76-75, but Ginebra fought back to force a 79-all tie. From there, Mercado stepped up for the Gin Kings, putting back a missed shot by Tenorio to bring Ginebra up, 81-79.
A split from the charity stripe by Tenorio with 13.4 ticks left sent Ginebra ahead by three, 82-79. Meralco had chances to tie, but all their attempts beyond the arc missed their target, thus preserving the three-point win for Ginebra.
“It was a defensive effort. We went up by 15, but they [Meralco] kept on trying. Good thing is we made big stops down the stretch,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone post game.
Durham, the Governor’s Cup Best Import, paced Meralco with 22 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.
Game 3 is set on Wednesday, October 12, at 7PM.
The Scores:
Ginebra (82) – Brownlee 32, Mercado 12, Caguioa 10, Tenorio 9, Thompson 9, Aguilar 6, Devance 2, Helterbrand 2, Cruz 0, Marcelo 0.
Meralco (79) – Durham 22, Hodge 16, Newsome 10, Hugnatan 9, Nabong 6, Amer 4, Caram 4, Alapag 3, Uyloan 3, Faundo 2.
Quarterscores: 24-21, 43-44, 69-60, 82-79*
