(CNN Philippines) — The Meralco Bolts put away the San Miguel Beermen, 106-95, in overtime in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governer’s Cup at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Saturday (May 9).
Andre Emmett powered the Bolts with 31 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, while Gary David chipped in 23 points and four rebounds.
The Beermen started out the strong in the first half, leading by as much as 11 points in the second quarter before Meralco staged a 12-0 run. But two Alex Cabagnot free throws put San Miguel up by a hairline, 42-41, entering halftime.
Despite opening the fourth quarter with a back-to-back three point bombs by Ronald Tubid, the Beermen couldn’t shake off the Bolts, which forced a deadlock, 90-all, through a Cliff Hodge bucket with 20 seconds left.
Both teams came up empty in the final possessions, forcing the game into an extra session.
But it was all Meralco in the overtime period, going on a 12-3 spurt that was enough to secure their first victory of the conference.
“My local players did a much better job playing alongside our import,” said Meralco head coach Norman Black.“For us to be successful, (the import) can’t do everything by himself.”
Junemar Fajardo led the Beermen with 22 points and 16 rebounds.
Meralco improved to 1-1 with the victory, while the Beermen hold a 0-2 card.
The scores:
Meralco 106 — Emmett 31, David 23, Guevarra 11, Hodge 10, Hugnatan 10, Cortez 8, Atkins 5, Wilson 2, Anthony 2, Sena 2, Caram 2.
San Miguel 95 — Fajardo 22, Santos 14, Lassiter 13, Reid 13, Cabagnot 9, Tubid 8, Espinas 6, Lutz 5, Ross 5, Omolon 0.
