ANTIPOLO CITY, Philippines – Meralco rediscovered its winning groove in the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup following a 106-97 triumph over Blackwater at the Ynares Center on Friday, October 18. 

Import Allen Durham delivered a near triple-double performance of 27 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks as the Bolts bounced back to improve to 4-2 for solo 4th place. 

Raymond Almazan backstopped Durham with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Baser Amer put up 17 points – including 5 points in the final two minutes that essentially locked up the victory for his side.

The Elite still had a chance to mount a comeback after Allein Maliksi cut their deficit to 92-101 at the 2:43 minute mark but Amer scored a layup off a Ray Parks turnover and a triple that pushed their lead to 14. 

Mike Digregrorio drained a jumper and a corner three-pointer for Blackwater, but those hardly had an impact in the verdict. 

KG Canaleta came off the bench for Meralco and contributed 13 points, Chris Newsome had 8 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds, while Bong Quinto added 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. 

Digregorio finished with 22 points spiked by 6 triples off the bench for the Elite, who failed to stretch their winning streak at the Ynares Center as they dropped to 2-4. 

Blackwater clinched both of its wins at the 19-year-old arena. 

Import Marqus Blakely dominated on both ends in the loss with 15 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals, Allein Maliksi and Parks had 12 points each, while Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Mac Belo added 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

The Scores

Meralco 106 – Durham 27, Almazan 19, Amer 17, Canaleta 13, Newsome 8, Quinto 8, Pinto 7, Faundo 3, Caram 2, Hugnatan 2.

Blackwater 97 – Digregorio 22, Blakely 15, Parks 12, Maliksi 12, Al-Hussaini 11, Belo 10, Cortez 4, Cruz 3, Desiderio 2, Sena 2, Sumang 2, Alolino 2.

Quarters: 22-20, 56-50, 80-74, 106-97.

– Rappler.com