Tony Bishop continued his stellar play as Meralco once again took another chapter of its famed rivalry against Ginebra, 101-95, to remain perfect in the 2022 PBA Governors’ Cup, Sunday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Panamanian cager dropped a game-high 30 points on 45-percent shooting, on top of 13 rebounds and seven assists to power the Bolts to their fourth win in as many games to gain a share of leadership with Magnolia.
He made 10 of his points in the first quarter, but was most important in the final frame as he provided the much-needed stability for his team.
As the Gin Kings led by two after being down by as many as 10 early, Bishop made an and-one play moments after Bong Quinto’s game-tying jumper to put his side ahead once more, 91-89, with 4:11 remaining.
Meralco never let up since, as Chris Newsome, Aaron Black, and Allein Maliksi came through with the finishing blows to seal the win.
“I thought that our import, Tony Bishop, had a lot to do with this victory,” said Bolts head coach Norman Black, as his prized reinforcement scored his third consecutive 30-point performance in the conference. “His consistency throughout the game, the fact that he shows up every game gives us a foundation that we can build on to try to win as much as possible.”
Chris Banchero also made his presence felt in his first game with Meralco. He came off the bench and finished with 12 points on a 50-percent clip from the field, on top of four rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 23 minutes.
“He came in and contributed. He doesn’t really know what we’re doing yet,” said Black. “He came in and he scored 12 points for us, he gave us some good pressure defense. He’s gonna be a big addition to our team.”
Newsome also finished with 12 points, alongside seven assists and five rebounds. Maliksi chipped in 11 markers in the win.
“We had to gut it out. It wasn’t a very pretty victory, being quite honest with you,” said Black. “But I think we strung together some defensive stops in the second half that allowed us to separate a little bit, and allowed us to win the game.”
Meralco will next face NorthPort on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. as it aims to extend its unbeaten run against one of the league’s winless teams.
Meanwhile, Justin Brownlee led Ginebra with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists in the defeat that dropped their record to 3-2.
Scottie Thompson had 18 points and nine rebounds as he started out as the Gin Kings’ point guard. Christian Standhardinger contributed 17 points, while LA Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar added 10 markers apiece.
The loss spoiled the debut of new guy Nards Pinto, who finished with only two points but had nine assists, three steals, and two rebounds.
The Barangay will look to get back on track against the struggling TNT Tropang Giga in a rivalry clash on Friday at 6:00 p.m.
The Scores:
Meralco 101 – Bishop 30, Newsome 12, Banchero 12, Maliksi 11, Almazan 8, Quinto 8, Hodge 8, Black 6, Caram 4, Hugnatan 2.
Ginebra 95 – Brownlee 27, Thompson 18, Standhardinger 17, Aguilar 10, Tenorio 10, Tolentino 5, Chan 3, Pinto 2, Caperal 3.
Quarterscores: 29-22, 45-46, 79-76, 101-95
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