Scottie Thompson presided over a huge fourth quarter rally as Barangay Ginebra survived Meralco, 100-92, to gain the head start in their best-of-three quarterfinals series in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
The one-time Most Valuable Player did it all for the Kings who unloaded a 13-3 run in the final frame to regain control and pull away for good against their bitter rivals.
Thompson, Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos joined hands and helped the Kings restore order after Meralco suddenly took the driver’s seat after trailing for the most part of the first three quarters.
The Kings found themselves down by two, 85-87, when they made the fiery run to reestablish a 98-90 advantage – a lead that Ginebra did not relinquish until the final buzzer.
Japeth Aguilar added 19 points and nine rebounds while Abarrientos chipped in 14 points laced with six assists.
Meanwhile Converge pounced on the absence of Rain or Shine in the second half to pull away with a 130-118 victory and draw first blood in their own best-of-three quarterfinals series.
The FiberXers survived the initial onslaught from the Elasto Painters, who led by as many as 17 behind their hot start, before exploiting their height advantage in the second half after Thompson fouled out of the contest with 8:34 left in the third.
With Rain or Shine hardly had any resistance without its key big man, Cheick Diallo towered over with 35 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks while Arana, likewise, announced his return from an ankle injury with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Jordan Heading provided the perfect complement to the team’s attack with 21 points – built on five triples – to go with nine assists while Schonny Winston added 17.
Alec Stockton and Justine Baltazar had 13 apiece for Converge which pulled away in the final frame behind a 17-4 run that turned a tight 105-104 lead into a comfortable 122-108 advantage.
