MANILA – Allen Durham returned to his dominant form as Meralco Bolts scored a 109-99 victory over NorthPort Batang Pier in the 2024 PBA Governors’ Cup on Sunday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
The former PBA Best Import of the Conference awardee had a near triple-double showing of 34 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists as the Bolts cruised to a 3-1 win-loss slate.
“Still not there yet, but with every practice I am getting there, I am getting more comfortable with the guys. This is a marathon and not a race so when I got there, I think we will be a good team,” Durham said.
Chris Banchero added 23 markers, including some crucial baskets in the fourth quarter, while Kier John Quinto and Antonio Jose Caram contributed 18 and 10 points, respectively, for Meralco.
Holding to a slim 52-49 lead at the half, the Bolts created separation from the Batang Pier in the third quarter behind inside conversions by Durham for the biggest lead of 90-66.
The Batang Pier countered with a run in the fourth quarter behind William Navarro to cut the deficit to 95-104, but the Bolts answered with conversions from Banchero and Durham to restore a double-digit spread.
NorthPort made their last push at 99-108 after a four-point shot from John Amores, but a split free throw by Durham followed by defensive stops on the other end sealed the win for Meralco.
“We have a lot of respect for NorthPort, they started the game very well, but I think we have a more solid third quarter, some of the vets had to lead in the third quarter,” said Bolts head coach Luigi Trillo.
“We struggled in the first half, but our third quarter performance was enough for us to have that big lead,” he added. “Overall, we had a great performance and we did enough to top NorthPort.”
Arvin Tolentino finished with 21 points before being benched the entire fourth quarter, while Navarro and Joshua Munzon added 18 and 16, respectively, as the Batang Pier dropped to 2-2./PN
BOX SCORE:
MERALCO 109 – Durham 34, Banchero 23, Quinto 18, Caram 10, Newsome 8, Pascual 6, Cansino 6, Rios 2, Mendoza 2, Bates 0, Hodge 0, Pasaol 0.
NORTHPORT 99 – Tolentino 21, Navarro 18, Munzon 16, Flores 8, Bulanadi 7, Jois 6, Cuntapay 6, Amores 6, Jalalon 5, Yu 3, Nelle 3, Tratter 0, Onwubere 0.
Quarterscores: 22-28, 52-49, 90-66, 109-99.
