Ginebra nudges Meralco’s comeback behind RJ Abarrientos heroics
Barangay Ginebra blew a 17-point lead but managed to hold on to a 91-87 victory against Meralco during Chinese New Year at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
RJ Abarrientos sank four crucial free throws to seal the deal. He finished with a game-high 17 points to preserve the victory for the Gin Kings, who closed the eliminations with an 8-4 win-loss, tied with Converge FiberXers.
Abarrientos was backstopped by Justin Brownlee who contributed 15 markers, while Troy Rosario and Stephen Holt put up 13 apiece.
Despite missing import Akil Mitchell, who’s suffering from back spasm, the Bolts still managed to trim down the large deficit into two, but the crowd favorite nudged the bullet behind Abarrientos clutch shots.
The loss also halted Meralco's three-game winning streak, and went down to a 7-4 record. They can still improve their record if they win their last assignment against Magnolia on Friday, January 31 at the Philsports Arena.
The Bolts still tried to force an overtime in the end but rookie Kurt Reyson missed his four-pointer at the buzzer.
CJ Cansino led Meralco with 15 markers, while Raymond Almazan added 13, and Aaron Black put up 11.
The Scores:
GINEBRA 91 - Abarrientos 17, Brownlee 15, Rosario 13, Holt 13, Malonzo 9, Pessumal 7, Ahanmisi 6, J. Aguilar 4, R. Aguilar 2, Pinto 2, Thompson 2, Tenorio 1, Cu 0, Mariano 0.
MERALCO 87 - Cansino 15, Almazan 13, Black 11, Hodge 9, Newsome 9, Quinto 8, Rios 5, Torres 5, Pasaol 4, Banchero 4, Bates 4, Reyson 0.
Quarter Scores: 21-22, 44-42, 68-59, 91-87.
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