The Meralco Bolts stormed from 16 points down to zap Barangay Ginebra, 89-75, in their PBA Philippine Cup matchup Friday evening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City
Meralco broke the game wide open in the fourth, allowing Ginebra to score just 14 points in the final frame to grab their second win in a row after a 0-2 start to the conference.
Chris Newsome spearheaded the Bolts with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while CJ Cansino provided the spark with 18 markers.
The Gin Kings were in full control through the third quarter, taking a 16-point advantage, 54-38, after a triple by Norbert Torres.
But an 18-7 run to end the frame kept the game close, 56-61, heading into the fourth quarter.
While an and-one play by RJ Abarrientos at the start of the fourth kept Meralco at bay, 64-56, an 11-2 run by the Bolts following back-to-back 3-pointers by Aaron Black and Newsome pushed them ahead, 67-66.
This gave the Bolts the needed momentum boost, as they continued to pounce on their opponents with a backbreaking 16-3 blitz that gave the winning team the largest lead of the night at 14, 83-69.
Bong Quinto added 11 points, while Black and Cliff Hodge had eight apiece for Meralco.
RJ Abarrientos paced the Gin Kings with 14 points, while Japeth Aguilar and Stephen Holt had 13 and 12, respectively.
Meralco will return to action on Sunday as they face the Magnolia Hotshots at the Ynares Montalban, while Ginebra, who dropped to 1-2 in the conference, will face the San Miguel Beermen on October 26 in Dubai.