Meralco streaked to its fourth straight win with ease, destroying Columbian Dyip, 92-74, in the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Bolts, relying on an unrelenting offensive anchored on Allen Durham, Chris Newsome and Raymond Almazan, dominated the game from start to finish as they chalked up their seventh win in nine outings.
The victory bolstered the Bolts’ bid for top 4 finish, which carries a twice-to-beat advantage in the 8-team quarterfinal round.
Durham finished with 34 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, which reinforced his shot for another Best Import award in the season-ending conference.
The hard-working Durham, who had won the award twice already, got ample support from Almazan who dropped 18 points and cornered 24 rebounds, and Newsome, who added 10 points as the trio carried the Bolts’ offensive all gamelong.
CJ Perez banged away 21 points and collared six rebounds, while Kaphri Alaston added 19 points and 16 rebounds but they were not enough to prevent the Dyip from falling to their sixth loss in 10 outings.
The Bolts did pretty well on both ends of the court right from the start, building a 25-11 lead in the first quarter. They kept their fine showing all the way to the second to build a 45-29 margin at the turn as the Dyip continued to struggle.
The Dyip found their rhythm at the onset of the second period—albeit lasting only for a while—as they uncorked a 10-to-nothing salvo highlighted by a triple each by Andreas Cahilig and Juami Tiongson.
That enabled the Dyip to move within 45-39, and send Norman Black suing for time early in the third period.
The Meralco timeout cut the Dyip momentum and saw the Bolts rise again. In an instant, the Bolts found themselves enjoying a 64-51 lead late in the third following a scoring binge capped by Anjo Caram’s triple.
San Miguel Beer meanwhile guns for its second straight win that will keep itself in the magic four as it takes on Rain or Shine in a lone Petron Blaze Saturday Game Special at the Hoops Dome.
The Beermen, who played without import Dez Wells on injury in their last outing but still managed to beat Blackwater, are set to parade a new import in John Holland as they meet the Elasto Painters in the 5 p.m. encounter.
The Beermen are looking for their seventh win in 10 games. The Painters are long out of the running at 2-7, but they can be expected to come out with strong stand if only to create some noise.
The scores:
Meralco (92) – Durham 34, Almazan 18, Newsome 10, Quinto 7, Maliksi 7, Caram 4, Hugnatan 3, Salva 3, Hodge 2, Pinto 2, Jamito 2, Faundo 0, Jackson 0, Jose 0.
Columbian (74) – Perez 21, Alston 19, Tiongson 9, Khobuntin 7, Cahilig 5, McCarthy 4, Reyes 3, Flores 3, Calvo 2, Faundo 1, Camson 0, Corpuz 0.
Quarterscores: 25-11, 45-29, 67-58, 92-74.