PBA: Meralco deals Ginebra its first loss in Philippine Cup

Meralco handed Barangay Ginebra its first loss in the PBA Philippine Cup, 91-73, on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With the win, the Bolts improved to 2-3 after back-to-back losses, while Ginebra slipped to 2-1.

The Bolts relied on a strong start as they ended the first half with a 46-27 advantage before pulling away in the third period and led by 31, 71-40, at the 3:40 mark of the third period.

Allein Maliksi had 25 points, a rebound, and an assist, while Chris Newsome had 19 points for the Bolts.

Maverick Ahanmisi had 14 points, while Christian Standhardinger and Japeth Aguilar chipped in 13 points apiece for Ginebra.

Scores:

Meralco 91 – Maliksi 25, Newsome 19, Black 12, Mendoza 8, Banchero 5, Hodge 4, Quinto 4, Pasaol 4, Almazan 3, Caram 2, Rios 2, Pascual 2, Dario 1, Torres 0.

Ginebra 73 – Ahanmisi 14, Standhardinger 13, J.Aguilar 13, David 8, Onwubere 6, Malonzo 4, Tenorio 3, Pessumal 3, Gumaru 2, R. Aguilar 2, Pringle 2, Pinto 1, Cu 0.

Quarters: 23-14, 46-27, 76-52, 91-73.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News