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The Bolts got the spark they needed late in the penultimate period and hardly slowed down from there on their way to their fourth win in six matches while spoiling the return of Ginebra resident import Justin Brownlee.
Meralco built a 17-point lead on Arinze Onuaku's three-pointer with five seconds remaining in the penultimate period and kept the Gin Kings at bay until the final buzzer.
Ginebra struggled to at least stay within striking distance and reeled to a 1-4 card.
Onuaku led Meralco with a double-double outing of 24 points and 23 rebounds that also came with five assists, two steals, and three blocks.
Chris Newsome posted 17 markers, five rebounds and the same number of assists, while Jared Dillinger added 13 points. Anjo Caram and Baser Amer combined for 22 points.
"It's a good overall effort for us. Big win for us actually because it leans us a little bit more towards the top and keeps us away from the bottom. Now we got a week off to prepare for Phoenix," said Meralco coach Norman Black.
In his return, Brownlee posted a triple double of 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists. But even his Herculean efforts couldn't help the Gin Kings climbed out of a 17-point hole.
The Alab Pilipinas hero also got little help from the locals, with only two other Gin Kings finishing in double figures. Japeth Aguilar had 13 points and six rebounds, while Scottie Thompson finished with 12 markers, four boards, and three dimes.
Black lauded his players for limiting the prolific import.
"Brownlee is a really good player and he's proven in the past that he's very difficult to deal with on the court. My two guys (Jared Dillinger and Cliff Hodge) who guarded him tonight did a good job," said Black.
"Of course you can't stop him but you can just try to slow him down as much as possible."
THE SCORES
Meralco 93 - Onuaku 24, Newsome 22, Dillinger 13, Caram 12, De Ocampo 5, Hodge 4, Canaleta 0, Hugnatan 0.
Ginebra 82 - Brownlee 20, Aguilar 13, Thompson 12, Slaughter 8, Mercado 7, Tenorio 6, Devance 6, Caguioa 5, Caperal 5, Cruz 0.
Quarters: 28-22, 48-42, 73-58, 93-89
EXTRA DRIBBLES
- Ranide de Ocampo returned to the fold Friday since going down with a calf injury in Game 4 of the Governors' Cup finals. He was cleared to play before this conference but injured his achilles.
- Cliff Hodge and Ginebra coach Tim Cone engaged in a shouting match with 6:43 remaining in the third period. Black said in the post-game interview "I really don't like the fact that it happened" while adding he will speak to Hodge about the incident.
NEXT GAMES
Ginebra - vs San Miguel Beermen on June 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena
Meralco - vs Phoenix on June 8 at Smart Araneta Coliseum
SOURCE: http://tv5.espn.com/basketball/pba/story/_/id/23667869/meralco-adds-ginebra-woes-claims-93-82-win
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