Meneses sizzled coming off the bench in the second half, teaming up with Frantz Pierre-Louis for the key plays that lifted the Express past the Realtors and into the doorstep of the quarterfinal round of the mid-season tourney.
With the Express joining seven other teams with at least four wins, the Kings (2-7) and reigning All-Filipino champion Purefoods Hotdogs (1-7) eventually moved out of contention for the next round. FedEx drew level with Talk N Text at seventh place on identical 4-4 win-loss cards.
The FedEx moved within a win of the quarters while stopping Sta. Lucia’s four-game winning run and denying the Realtors outright slot in the Top Four. Sta. Lucia was stalled at 5-3.
"Hopefully, we can use this game as a motivation tool as we play the hottest team in the league at the moment, Red Bull, in our next game," said FedEx coach Derrick Pumaren. "We can’t be happy with this win. Win No. 4 doesn’t mean anything yet."
Meneses raised FedEx game several rungs higher as the Express dealt the Realtors their first loss since acquiring the services of Chris Clay last July 7.
Pierre outplayed Stephen Howard, piling up 31 points and 11 rebounds in a solid no-relief job.