Japeth Aguilar was nearly unstoppable in Sta. Rosa City. PBA Media Bureau |
STA. ROSA, Laguna--Ginebra once again claimed the solo top spot in the PBA Governors' Cup standings with a hard-fought 111-105 victory over Meralco in the rematch of last year's finals at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex on Sunday night.
The Barangay turned things around late in the second half as they broke out of a tie again with the Blackwater Elite nearly three hours after the latter forced the deadlock with a win against the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters.
[Related Story: Blackwater holds off ROS to continue impressive Govs Cup stint]
After a tight first half, Meralco found an opportunity to pull away in the third quarter after pulling an 8-0 run to break a 64-all deadlock and lead, 72-64.
Ginebra, however, answered with a 15-0 run spanning to the fourth quarter as Justin Brownlee came alive and helped his team take the lead for good.
The Barangay stretched the lead to as high as 14 before holding off the Bolts's gallant stand in the end.
Brownlee and Japeth Aguilar each scored 31 points for Ginebra, which moved up to 7-1.
Allen Durham's 36-point, 16-rebound, and nine-assist near triple-double blast went down the drain as Meralco found itself in a 1-5 hole.
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