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PBA: Ginebra waxes hot late to pull away from Meralco

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Christian Standhardinger of Barangay Ginebra in action against Meralco in the 2023 PBA Governors" Cup="" on="" March="" at="" the="" Araneta="" Coliseum.="" PBA="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/03/01/pba_gin-cstan.jpg"/><figcaption>Christian Standhardinger of Barangay Ginebra in action against Meralco in the 2023 PBA Governors&#x27; Cup on March 1 at the Araneta Coliseum. PBA Images.</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATED) Christian Standhardinger was superb all game, Jeremiah Gray found his range late, and the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings pulled away for a 112-107 victory over the Meralco Bolts on Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.Standhardinger put up 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes, while Gray scored 11 of his 12 points in the final period. The Gin Kings got the job done against the Bolts even without the injured pair of Japeth Aguilar and LA Tenorio. They extended their winning streak to two games and improved to 5-2 in the 2023 PBA Governors&#x27; Cup.&quot;They just tightened the reins a little bit more. They made a couple of big shots -- Miah, like he said, and Justin [Brownlee] made a big shot,&quot; said Ginebra coach Tim Cone. &quot;They just stepped up on their own and made the big plays.&quot;Meralco led by as much as 10 points in the first quarter and still had an 80-76 lead entering the final frame. But a three-pointer by Gray with 8:26 to go shifted the lead to the Gin Kings, 87-86, and both teams traded blows the rest of the way.The game featured six ties and 16 lead changes, with Meralco forcing a 97-97 deadlock off two free throws by Aaron Black with 3:49 to go. But Brownlee gave the Gin Kings the advantage in their next possession, fishing for a foul from Cliff Hodge and knocking down both charities for a 99-97 count.The naturalized player nailed a triple with three minutes to go for a 102-97 Ginebra lead, forcing Norman Black to sue for time. But the Bolts had no answer for Gray down the stretch, as the swingman knocked down two three-pointers that kept Ginebra in control. A layup by KJ McDaniels with 50 seconds to go gave Meralco some hope, 108-104, but the Ginebra defense forced Allein Maliksi into a turnover in the Bolts&#x27; next trip, and Standhardinger&#x27;s layup with 15.5 ticks left iced the game.&quot;We talked a lot about our defense at half time. We weren&#x27;t pleased with our defense in the first half, and we came out and played a lot better on defense in the second half, collectively,&quot; said Cone.Brownlee finished with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists, showing little signs of fatigue despite playing two games for Gilas Pilipinas in the last four days. Jamie Malonzo, another Gilas player, had 16 points; Scottie Thompson dished out ten assists to go with his seven points and six rebounds.It&#x27;s a disappointing result for Meralco, which dropped to 5-4 as they failed to take advantage of Ginebra&#x27;s personnel woes. McDaniels scored 28 points on 12-of-21 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, while Maliksi came off the bench for 23 points in the loss. The Scores:GINEBRA 112 – Standhardinger 31, Brownlee 29, Malonzo 16, Gray 12, Thompson 7, Pringle 5, Dillinger 0MERALCO 107 – McDaniels 28, Maliksi 23, Newsome 15, Black 14, Hodge 10, Quinto 10, Banchero 5, Almazan 2, Caram 0, Jose 0QUARTERS: 32-37, 54-61, 76-80, 112-107<div> </div>

The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings pulled away for a 112-107 victory over the Meralco Bolts on Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.