ANTIPOLO – Suleiman Braimoh led the way once more as Meralco withstood Blackwater, 91-84, to seize the early solo lead in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup, Saturday at the Ynares Center here.
The 34-year-old finished with 40 points and 16 rebounds in 43 minutes, as he carried much of the load for the Bolts en route to their second win in as many games — the second straight conference in which they have started 2-0.
“Just credit to my teammates. They found me in good spots, they trusted me and I’m just happy that I was able to make shots today,” he said.
Braimoh was key in staving off the Bossing, who got to within just five, 80-85, with 5:54 remaining in the game after being down by as much as 14 points.
He made their foes pay dearly for failing to capitalize on numerous chances to get closer, scoring off a jam to push their lead to 87-80 with 1:07 to go.
Chris Newsome then made sure that their import’s efforts wouldn’t be in vain as he struck the dagger via jumper, 89-81, with 34.1 seconds left to play.
“Blackwater made it a game. We got some key rebounds, some key stops and I’m happy we got the win,” said Braimoh, who scored 26 in the second half.
Cliff Hodge and Bong Quinto scored nine apiece for Meralco, who overcame Allein Maliksi’s premature exit after suffering a broken nose late in the second quarter following an inadvertent hit. He left with four points.
The Bolts will fly to Japan for their East Asia Super League match versus Allen Durham and Ryukyu on November 15 before facing San Miguel on the 19th to resume their conference. Game is at 3 p.m. at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Chris Ortiz, meanwhile, had 29 points and six rebounds to lead Blackwater. The Puerto Rican scored 21 of his points in the second half, including nine in the fourth as he sparked their comeback attempt.
“We knew we’ll have our hands full because of Ortiz because I thought in that first game he played very well. We showed him different types of defense, tried to slow him down, get our matchups well,” said head coach Luigi Trillo.
The Bossing (1-1) will try to get back on track against Terrafirma (0-1) on November 15, Wednesday, 4 p.m. still at Ynares-Antipolo.
The Scores:
Meralco 91 – Braimoh 40, Hodge 9, Quinto 9, Dario 8, Black 7, Newsome 5, Maliksi 4, Caram 3, Almazan 2, Rios 2, Bates 0, Pasaol 0.
Blackwater 84 – Ortiz 29, Suerte 10, Ayonayon 9, Banal 8, Hill 8, Casio 6, David 5, Rosario 5, Ilagan 2, Guinto 1, DiGregorio 0, McCarthy 0, Escoto 0.
Quarterscores: 28-25, 47-42, 70-64, 91-84.
