Durham, Lanete lift Bolts over F Masters

MANILA, Philippines - Undermanned Meralco drew big games from Allen Durham and Garvo Lanete as it rallied to beat Phoenix, 107-104, last night to close in on a quarterfinal berth in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Playing minus injured Cliff Hodge, Baser Amer and Mike Tolomia, the last two suiting up for the Phl team eyeing nothing less than the gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Durham and Lanete took turns in helping power the Bolts to their fifth win in six outings, or just a win away from clinching a spot in the quarters.

Durham toyed with a triple-double performance before finishing with 33 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists while making the shots that mattered most in the stretch while Lanete exploded with 27 points he laced with six booming triples.

Meralco overhauled a 15-point lead late in the third period, 62-77, with Durham and Lanete alternating in delivering the decisive blows.

“It was just an incredible effort because we had to deal with a lot of adversity in this game,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.

Brandon Brown, who had to stand in for an injured Eugene Phelps, was impressive on his first game as he erupted for a game-high 38 points and snared nine boards.

It was Brown who pushed Phoenix to within a point, 104-105, with 8.9 seconds to go.

A play later, Lanete then sank a pair of crucial foul shots to give Meralco a three-point cushion, 107-104.

Trailing by three, Brown had a chance to knot the count and force overtime but his three-point attempt bounced off the ring in the dying seconds, sending the Fuel Masters reeling to their fourth defeat against two triumphs.

Blackwater wrested control early in the fourth quarter then held off NLEX’s fightback down the stretch to pound out a 107-106 victory for its second win in five games.

The Road Warriors took their second loss against five wins.