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Meralco put one foot in the quarterfinals after crushing San Miguel Beer, 111-81, in the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup Saturday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Bolts came out an entirely different team in the second half behind Allen Durham, who fired 18 of his game-high 35 points in the third quarter.
Durham also had 26 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks while birthday boy Reynel Hugnatan, who turned 40, added 19 points, 13 of which came in the final frame, on top of six rebounds and six assists.
“We knew we really had to fight tonight because we’re playing San Miguel, who we consider probably to be the most talented team in the league,” said Meralco head coach Norman Black. “We had to play good offense, play good defense, basically play good basketball. We had to match their energy.”
“I think that Allen Durham really displayed that in this game offensive and defensively, particularly in the defensive boards. He did a great job of dominating the paint,” added Black, whose squad assisted on 38 of its 42 made field goals.
The Bolts aren’t sure yet for the next round with their fate to be determined after the final game of the elimination round between Barangay Ginebra and TNT.
A loss by the KaTropa would propel the Bolts into the quarterfinals while a victory would pit the two against each other in a knockout for the last quarterfinals slot.
Kevin Murphy had 32 points and 10 rebounds for the Beermen, who blew a 14-point lead.
San Miguel, which shot just 33 percent from the field and had more turnovers (16) than assists (9), finished the elimination round in sixth place regardless of what happens on Sunday.
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