MANILA, Philippines – Meralco survived a gutsy stand from Rain or Shine, 77-73, to rediscover its winning form in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, July 6.

Aaron Black came up clutch and churned out a team-high 20 points on top of 6 assists and 4 rebounds as the Bolts snapped a two-game skid to raise their record to 4-3.

Desperate to snap their five-game skid, the Elasto Painters narrowed the gap to 70-73 only to witness Black drain a long bomb with 40 ticks left to give Meralco enough separation to notch the victory.

Three Mark Borboran free throws pulled Rain or Shine within a single possession anew, 73-76, but Bolts forward Bong Quinto kept the Elasto Painters at bay by draining one of his two foul shots.

Allein Maliksi backstopped Black with 19 points on a 4-of-11 clip from long distance, while Cliff Hodge chalked up 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Raymond Almazan frolicked inside the paint with 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks for the Bolts, who played without head coach Norman Black.

The older Black flew to the United States to attend to his ailing mother, leaving deputy Luigi Trillo to take over the coaching duties.

Gabe Norwood put up 13 points and 9 rebounds in the loss that marked the Elasto Painters’ sixth straight since they opened the season with a two-point triumph over Converge.

Rain or Shine appeared on its way to ending its skid after overhauling a 10-point deficit and entering the fourth quarter with a 54-53 lead, but it got outscored 19-24 in the period.

Mike Nieto and Beau Belga posted 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the loss.

The Scores

Meralco 77 – Black 20, Maliksi 19, Hodge 13, Almazan 10, Newsome 7, Quinto 6, Pascual 2, Baclao 0, Jose, Pasaol 0, Hugnatan 0, Caram 0, Belo 0.

Rain or Shine 73 – Norwood 13, Nieto 12, Belga 11, Torres 8, Borboran 8, Caracut 7, Santillan 6, Nambatac 6, Demusis 2, Mamuyac 0, Clarito 0.

Quarters: 17-13, 35-38, 53-54, 77-73.

– Rappler.com