Meralco gets first series win against Ginebra, sets up semis clash vs SMB

The Meralco Bolts, finally, claimed its first series win against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

On Sunday, the Bolts survived Ginebra's second half rally, 106-104, to close out their quarterfinals series, 2-1, in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Bolts led by as much as 21 points, 78-57, past the halfway mark of the third period, before Ginebra made a late rally and cut their deficit to just nine points to end the frame at 85-76.

Ginebra continued their charge in the fourth period until they took the lead, 104-103, after an LA Tenorio triple at the 1:12 mark. Raymond Almazan immediately responded with a trey of his own to regain the lead, which eventually gave them the win.

Chris Newsome registered a triple double with 21 points, 12 assists, and 10 points, while Cliff Hodge had a double double performance with 18 boards on top of his 13 markers. Aaron Black had 17 points, while Almazan, Bong Quinto, and Alvin Pasaol chipped in 11 points each.

Scottie Thompson listed 26 points, while Christian Standhardinger had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Japeth Aguilar scored 21 points.

With the win, Meralco will face the San Miguel Beermen in a best-of-seven semis.

—JMB, GMA News