MANILA, Philippines - Meralco Bolts held Barako Bull without a single field goal in the last four minutes, squeezing out a 73-70 win that gave the B-Boys an outright quarterfinal berth in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum last night.
Asi Taulava, rejoining Meralco after a stint with Smart Gilas Pilipinas in the recent Asian Games, put in 10 points, including the go-ahead basket in the victory that moved the B-Boys to fourth place with a 6-5 win-loss record.
Meralco thus got back at Barako Bull and also sent the Energy Boosters on the brink of elimination with a 2-10 card.
“We expected a game like this. We knew that Barako would not just sit down and die. But during anxious moments when we’re not sure of winning, we stuck to our zone defense,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.
“That’s the reason why we’re getting considerable success. Our players have learned to play defense and believe in themselves,” Gregorio added.
The B-Boys did lean on defense to win the gripping battle, limiting the Energy Boosters to two points in the last 4:42 of play.
Barako fought Meralco to a fierce game marked by eight deadlocks and nine lead changes but succumbed to pressure at the finish, missing all of its last eight field-goal attempts.
The B-Boys, beaten by the Energy Boosters, 68-74, in their previous tiff, surged ahead at 71-70 on a basket by Taulava underneath with 1:20 left.
A free throw each by Gabby Espinas and Macmac Cardona in the closing seconds gave Meralco the three-point win.
Cardona, No. 4 in the tourney in scoring with an average of 18.5 points, led all scorers in the game with 21 points with Espinas adding 16 points and nine rebounds.
Taulava went 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-5 from the stripe as he made his presence felt though playing limited minutes in his Meralco comeback.
“Obviously, he’s tired so I managed his playing time. We’ll integrate him slowly, making him just a member of the team, not the biggest member,” said Gregorio.
Talk n Text, drawing double-double games from Harvey Carey and Jimmy Alapag and double-digit outputs from three other players, overcame Powerade, 103-96, to catch up with Barangay Ginebra at second place at 8-3 in the nightcap.
TnT fended off Powerade’s tough challenge, pulling off the crucial win and in the process helping Meralco and B-MEG Derby Ace (6-6) get outright passage into the quarters.
“It was a tough game and we’re only too happy to escape with the win and keep up with Ginebra,” said Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes.