Meralco almost fell prey to the four-point shot, but Lady Luck smiled in its way following a 99-94 escape from Magnolia in a thrilling PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup opener on Sunday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Bolts saw their counterparts immediately go for the win albeit trailing by just three when Glenn Robinson III fired from 27 feet away — and against the defense of Chris Newsome — but his shot missed its target.
Allen Durham was there to haul down the board, and went on to ice the game by calmly sinking both of his charities with 2.6 seconds left to play.
“You can get back in the endgame. Before, [when you are down] three points, you need a three-point shot. Now, at four, you can come back,” opined head coach Luigi Trillo postgame. “Teams will find ways to use it.”
Durham led Meralco with 20 points and 16 rebounds in a successful return to the league after four years, or since the 2019-20 Governors’ Cup Finals.
The three-time Best Import was instrumental in Meralco’s crucial 11-0 run abridging the third and fourth quarters that gave themselves a 77-63 lead, before stepping up in the endgame yet again to seal the victory.
His heroics, furthermore, enabled teammate Chris Banchero to savor the night as he’s the first to make a four-pointer in an official PBA game.
The Fil-Italian playmaker nailed the 27-footer from the right wing at the 10:26-mark of the second quarter after catching the kick-out of Durham.
Banchero would go on to finish with 14 points as he sank one of two four-point shots of the Bolts, the other courtesy of guard Jolo Mendoza.
“CB took the first shot, so that will go down in history as he’s the first guy who made it,” Trillo said proudly. “Jolo has one also.”
Mendoza and Newsome finished with 13 points each, while Cliff Hodge added 12 points and nine rebounds for a Meralco side that missed the services of Allein Maliksi and Raymond Almazan due to minor injuries.
The Bolts are now 1-0 in Group A and will try to go back-to-back when it battles TNT on Thursday, August 22, 7:30 p.m. still at the Big Dome.
Robinson III, meanwhile, led Magnolia with 29 points on a 50-percent clip from the floor and 11 rebounds in the fightback that fell short.
Ian Sangalang made 17, while Paul Lee added 14 for the Hotshots, who will next face Converge on Friday, August 23, also at 7:30 at the Big Dome.
Meralco and Magnolia will take on one another again on September 7 at the Panabo Multi-Purpose Tourism, Cultural, and Sports Gymnasium in Davao.
The Scores:
Meralco 99 – Durham 20, Banchero 14, Newsome 13, Mendoza 13, Hodge 12, Quinto 9, Black 6, Rios 3, Pasaol 3, Cansino 2, Bates 2, Pascual 2, Caram 0, Torres 0.
Magnolia 94 – Robinson 29, Sangalang 17, Lee 14, Barroca 9, Lucero 7, Ahanmisi 6, Delka Rosa 5, Laput 4, Mendoza 3, Abueva 0, Dionisio 0, Escoto 0.
Quarterscores: 16, 12, 43-39, 74-63, 99-94.
