MANILA, Philippines - Gabby Espinas churned out yet another double-double game he highlighted with a clutch basket and crucial defensive stops at endgame, helping Meralco to a 100-98 decision over Powerade in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
Sol Mercado and Mark Cardona held their own in their matchups with Gary David and Jvee Casio, also making a big impact as Meralco bounced back from a one-point loss to Petron last Saturday and, in the process, stayed in the hunt for a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.
“We’re trying to get our full potential. If we make the Top Two, why not?” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.
“The goal is to keep on fighting hard; come fighting with tremendous effort. If we do so, we could well be rewarded with a win,” Gregorio added.
Mercado topscored with 23 points, Cardona contributed 17 points while Espinas collected 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Bolts moved up to solo fourth at 8-5 and within striking distance of the front running Petron Blaze Boosters, the Talk n Text Tropang Texters and the B-Meg Llamados.
Powerade got stalled at 5-8, allowing Alaska Milk to keep its flickering playoff hopes alive at 3-9.
The Tigers fought the Bolts in a close game even as they suffered a bad break with David – the league scoring leader – getting into foul-trouble early.
They were very much in the thick of the fight until Espinas made a key basket then foiled shots by Doug Kramer and Sean Anthony to win the game for the Bolts.
“Gabby has always been consistent. He’s consistent offensively. Tonight, he’s defensive presence underneath helped a lot. His two blocks were enough to salvage the game for us,” said Gregorio.
The former NCAA Rookie-MVP went 6-of-10 from the field and grabbed seven defensive and four offensive boards for his seventh double-double game in the tourney.
Mark Caguioa teamed up with Willy Wilson for the winning play in the closing seconds as Barangay Ginebra edged Petron Blaze, 91-89, to formalize its entry into the quarterfinals in the nightcap.
“We wanted set screens for Mark Caguioa but he was smart enough to find Wilson open,” said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen.
Only Arwind Santos and Kramer have had more double-double games with the former having 10 and the latter nine.
Kramer piled up 16 points and 11 rebounds in this game, backing up David who wound up with a game-high 25 markers.
David amassed 16 points right in the first half only to slow down after picking a fourth foul in the third period.
Meanwhile, the league holds a rare Saturday double-header at the Big Dome today, pitting B-Meg versus Barako Bull at 4:15 p.m. then Talk n Text against Alaska Milk at 6:30 p.m.
The Texters and the Llamados resume their chase for the twice-to-beat incentive while the Aces fight to stay alive.
Comments
Post a Comment