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| Suleiman Braimoh had an impressive PBA debut. Dennis Acosta |
MANILA—Meralco rode on a hot start but still needed to contain Rain Or Shine in the end for a 107-102 win in their PBA Commissioner's Cup game on Wednesday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
In their first regular season game under new head coach Luigi Trillo, the Bolts played like a fully charged squad at the start, dropping 39 points on the Elasto Painters at the end of the first quarter.
However, ROS upped its defensive intensity as the game progressed, especially in the third quarter after holding Meralco to just 14 points and cutting the lead down to seven, 77-70.
The Elasto Painters even had a crack at forcing overtime after Andrei Caracut hit a crucial three with 27 seconds left to trim the gap to three, 105-102.
However, Santi Santillan fouled Allein Maliksi in the ensuing play, and Maliksi hit two free throws to seal the Bolts' win.
Suleiman Braimoh led Meralco with 34 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Chris Newsome added 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while Cliff Hodge contributed 10 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist.
Dajuan Summers put up 27 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and one steal, while Santillan and Keith Datu each chipped in 16 markers.
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