Meralco pulls away in final frame to sink Blackwater

PBA
By Dugout Philippines

QUEZON CITY--A late fourth quarter stretch was all Meralco needed to pull away from a pesky Blackwater side to continue their Commissioner's Cup blitz on an Easter Sunday afternoon at the Big Dome with a 102-91 win.

After being behind in the first three quarters by eight points, the Bolts lean on their balanced attack in the final 12 minutes of the game, limiting the Elite to just 11 points and keeping them scoreless in the last three minutes while pulling away with a 10-0 run en route to their sixth win in seven games in a 30-point fourth quarter barrage.

Jared Dillinger and Alex Stephenson pace the Bolts with 21 and 18 markers respectively with the import completing his double-double with 15 boards to his name.

Greg Smith led the Elite with 19 points but his supporting cast deserted him when it mattered the most, with only Mike DiGregorio's 16 and KG Canaleta's 14 the only other players who scored in double figures that condemned them further into the cellar with a 1-5 card after losing their nine-point lead midway into the game.

Box Scores:

Meralco 102-Dillinger 21, Stephenson 18, Newsome 14, Nabong 13, Amer 12, Hugnatan 9, Daquioag 7, Chua 4, Yeo 4

Blackwater 91-Smith 19, DiGregorio 16, Canaleta 14, Pascual 8, Pinto 7, Sena 7, Aguilar 5, Buenafe 5, Cruz 5, Cervantes 3, Miranda 2

Quarterscores: 22-24, 44-48, 72-80, 102-91

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