MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED) Sol Mercado hit the go-ahead shot with 28.2 seconds left, as the Barangay Ginebra Kings stood strong defensively in the final seconds to claim a hard-fought 82-79 victory over the Meralco Bolts in Game 2 of the 2016 PBA Governors' Cup Finals Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Gin Kings have now tied the best-of-seven series at one game apiece, after losing in overtime, 109-114, during last Friday's Game 1.
Mercado, who was hailed by Tim Cone as the team's MVP of the game, fought off two Meralco players to grab the rebound off a miss by LA Tenorio, then drained the go-ahead lay-up with just 28.2 seconds left.
The Bolts bricked a chance to retake the lead when newly crowned Best Import Allen Durham missed a lay-up, forcing rookie Chris Newsome to foul Tenorio. However, Tenorio made only one of two charities for an 82-79 lead, leaving the door open for Meralco.
Huge miss by Durham right here pic.twitter.com/GidAkGMpmw
— Camille B. Naredo (@camillenaredo) October 9, 2016
They could not make the Gin Kings pay, however, as Durham misfired on a potential game-tying three-pointer, and after securing the offensive board, Cliff Hodge missed his own three-point attempt as well.
Another brutal miss pic.twitter.com/HaLXS6ASmL
— Camille B. Naredo (@camillenaredo) October 9, 2016
"This was definitely a must-win game for us," Cone said. "Going down 0-2, and they had won four games in a row, so their momentum was really strong. We knew we had to reach really deep to try to break their momentum."
"I'm not sure we broke it, but we got a win," he added.
Mercado finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the victory, while import Justin Brownlee bounced back from a subpar effort in Game 1 by tallying 32 points and 12 rebounds this time around.
After trailing 43-44 at the half, Ginebra appeared to break the game open in the third quarter, with Brownlee waxing hot from the field while Scottie Thompson wowed the crowd anew with his aggressiveness. The Gin Kings led by as much as 15 points, 63-48, after a triple by Mercado that forced the Bolts to sue for time.
However, Meralco was able to cut the deficit to nine points, 60-69, heading into the fourth quarter, and steadily chipped at the deficit with several players contributing. Three-pointers by Durham and Jonathan Uyloan made it a six-point game, 69-73, with still 7:44 left to play.
A five-point burst capped by a Cliff Hodge triple gave the Bolts a 76-75 advantage with 4:22 left, momentarily silencing majority of the 18,287-strong crowd that packed the Big Dome on Sunday night.
Hodge refused to be denied, however, as he barreled into the lane for a lay-up and a foul off Japeth Aguilar. He completed the three-point play for a 79-77 lead with still 2:45 left.
It turned out to be the last time that Meralco would get on the scoreboard as the Gin Kings overwhelmed them defensively in the final possessions of the game. Brownlee drained a fallaway jumper to tie the game with 2:04 to go, and after an exchange of misses between the imports, Mercado drained the biggest shot of the game.
"We had a tough shooting night, just missing the shots that we normally make. We had a lot of shots go in-and-out, especially around the basket," said Cone. "But defense is our constant. The offensive side of the ball varies from game to game, but defense is our constant."
The Gin Kings held Meralco to only 43% shooting from the field, and managed to do so without fouling: as a team, the Bolts only shot 13 free throws throughout the game, making eight. They also forced the Bolts to commit 16 turnovers, which led to 20 points.
Durham, after scoring 46 points in Game 1, was limited to 22 points on 10-of-24 shooting in the second game. He was also responsible for seven of Meralco's turnovers. Hodge had 16 points and 11 boards, while Newsome added 10.
The Gin Kings also won the rebounding battle, 49-45, and their 15 offensive rebounds led to 21 second chance points – including what turned out to be the game-winner from Mercado.
Despite the victory, Cone warned that Ginebra "cannot be too elated."
"We just tied it up," he said. "We'll have Monday off, so that's a day to rest our bodies and get our energy back."
The scores:
GINEBRA 82 - Brownlee 32, Mercado 12, Caguioa 10, Tenorio 9, Thompson 9, Aguilar 6, Devance 2, Helterbrand 2, Cruz 0, Marcelo 0.
MERALCO 79 - Durham 22, Hodge 16, Newsome 10, Hugnatan 9, Nabong 6, Amer 4, Caram 4, Alapag 3, Uyloan 3, Faundo 2.
Quarterscores: 24-21, 43-44, 69-60, 82-79
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