Bong Quinto came through in overtime as Meralco survived the hard-fighting Rain or Shine, 121-117, to barge into the win column of the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup, Saturday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The young forward finished with 16 points, including seven in a 10-2 run that gave the Bolts the 112-104 lead with 2:57 left to play — a distance that proved more than enough for the crew to eventually break through in the conference.
Allein Maliksi top-scored for Meralco once more with 26 points as he helped ensure that Quinto’s efforts in OT would not go for naught.
Three more players aside from Quinto delivered 16 points each in Chris Newsome, Cliff Hodge, and Norbert Torres, with the veteran tandem of Newsome and Hodge combining for 21 of the team’s 66 rebounds.
Anjo Caram provided the surprise spark with 13 points, majority of which he made in the fourth to keep themselves in the tight fixture.
