October 18, 2017

Durham delivers statement game as Meralco outlasts Ginebra

Allen Durham was every inch the Best Import that he is, coming through with a monstrous performance as Meralco halted Barangay Ginebra, 91-84, in Game Three of their PBA Governors Cup title playoff at the Smart Araneta ColiseumWednesday night.

The outside shooting that Meralco sorely missed in the first two games also came to the fore as the Bolts nailed the key win to stop the Kings from taking a mammoth 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven finale.

The Bolts take a shot at an equalizer in Game Four also at the Big Dome Friday.

Durham erupted for 38 points, 20 rebounds, five blocks, four assists and two steals, proving to be the real key as Meralco scored a breakthrough in the series.

Reynel Hugnatan was a giant help as he ably filled in for the injury-stricken Ranidel de Ocampo, rifling in seven three-pointers and a total of 22 points after making only two in the first two games of the series.

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"Little bad news is that I think we've lost Ranidel for the rest of the series due to a calf injury. It doesn't look very good right now," said Meralco coach Norman Black of De Ocampo who went down with an injury just eight minutes into the game.

"The good news is that the game became a lot easier as we made our shots. A lot of credit goes to Reynel who stepped up and made big shots for us," Black also said.

Even minus De Ocampo, Black said they would go all out to make it two in a row in Game Four.

"It's gonna be tough going forward especially with Ranidel out. But we have other able men who are ready to go to war," Black said.

A sour note in the game was Ginebra coach Tim Cone storming out of the playing court without the customary handshakes with the Meralco coaches and players at endgame.

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"He got mad at the last timeout that I called. But that's his problem not mine," said Black.

Drawing the needed help from their second group, the Bolts kept the game close in the first half, trailing by just a point at the turn at 46-47.

Durham had produced double-double numbers in the first two quarters with second-stringers Hugnatan and Anjo Caram providing support on their combined 6-of-9 three-point shooting.

The Meralco bench outscored their Ginebra counterparts, 24-17, in the first half where no team led by more than eight.

With Hugnatan's fifth triple in the night followed by a pair of charities from Durham, the Bolts seized the lead, 66-64, going into the payoff period.

But back-to-back three-pointers by Joe Devance and Justin Brownlee to start the fourth shoved the Kings back in the lead, 70-66, and prompted Meralco to call a quick timeout.

From the timeout, the Bolts unleashed a 9-4 salvo, and played tough all the way to the finish.