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[av_heading heading=’Ginebra exacts revenge to claim Game 2 victory in PBA ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings came up with crucial hits in the endgame to escape to an 82-79 win over the Meralco Bolts in Game 2 of the 2016 Oppo PBA Governor’s Cup best-of-seven finals on Sunday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
With the score tied at 79-all, Solomon Mercado surged the Kings ahead at 81-79 on a putback from a wild shot by LA Tenorio. Tenorio later extended the lead to three before buckling up on defense to preserve the win.
The Kings went up by as high as 15 points at 63-48 on baskets by Mercado, Tenorio and import Justin Brownlee. The Bolts, however, was able to cut it to 69-60 on consecutive baskets by Clifford Hodge.
With the Kings maintaining a 71-61 lead after a Brownlee basket, the Bolts surged to a huge run courtesy of import Allen Durham to inch closer to a 76-75 edge on a Hodge triple. But baskets by Brownlee down the stretch tied the score at 79-all.
Brownlee led the way with double-double 32 points and 12 rebounds, while Mercado and Mark Caguioa added 12 and 10 points respectively for the Kings, which is gunning for its first PBA trophy since the 2008 Fiesta Cup.
Durham finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Hodge added 16 markers for the Bolts, which got a little consolation with Jimmy Alapag breaking the record for most number of three-pointers made in the league at 1,243.
Durham, meanwhile, clinched the Best Import of the Conference award beating Kings’ Brownlee, TNT Katropa’s Mychal Ammons, San Miguel Beermen’s Elijah Millsap and Phoenix Fuel Masters’ Eugene Phelps.
Durham, who is on his second tour of journey in the league, collected 1,273 points (589 statistics, 445 media, 89 players, and 150 PBA). Brownlee is at second place with 1,028 votes.
Katropa’s Jayson Castro, on the other hand, captured the PBA Best Player of the Conference trophy beating Beermen’s June Mar Fajardo, Alaska Aces’ Calvin Abueva and Global Port Batang Pier’s Terrence Romeo, and Stanley Pringle./PN
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