Meralco comes back from 20 points down to ground Air21 Express

‘SIMPLY AMAZING’

OOOPPS! Cliff Hodge of Meralco crashes into a cameraman during yesterday’s first game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (INQUIRER)

Debuting import Wesley Witherspoon and the Air21 Express were firing on all cylinders until they ran out of ammunition in the payoff period to absorb a sorry 98-109 loss to the Meralco Bolts in yesterday’s first game of the 39th PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

In the second game, Talk ‘N Text remained unbeaten after six games after beating the Barangay Ginebra Kings (2-3), 94-87.

The Bolts completed what by far is the biggest comeback in the conference as they wiped out a 20-point third quarter lead to escape with their third win in five games. The Express fell to 2-3 (win-loss).

“It was simply an amazing comeback,” Meralco head coach Ryan Gregorio said. “This game, pretty much, I’ll cherish as a basketball coach. I haven’t seen anything like it.”

Wanting to have an import who could pile up points, the Express sent their original import Herve Lamizana home and brought in Wesley Witherspoon.

Witherspoon provided the needed firepower as he already had 39 points in the first three quarters as the Express mounted an 86-66 lead late in the third.

It turned out the Express were in for a big surprise as the Bolts staged a major fightback behind Jared Dillinger and import Brian Butch.

The Bolts staged a 9-0 run to start the fourth but Witherspoon weathered the storm for Air21 when he fired five points for a 91-77 Express lead with 8:27 to play.

Witherspoon would not score from that point on while the Bolts went on a rampage.

Air21 held a 98-93 lead in the final 3:50 but was held scoreless the rest of the way as Dillinger and Butch combined for 15 of Meralco’s  game-closing 16-0 blitz.

Dillinger completed a nifty up-and-under move that shoved the Bolts in front, 99-97.

Butch went on to finish with an eye-popping 40-point and 31-rebound performance.

“A 40 and 31 performance – it’s unheard of. That speaks highly of him, with so much pressure on his back, and he plays like this. It’s a testament to his strong character,” said Gregorio. “I thought I’ve seen it when he had 42 and 24, but this is off the charts. Forty points and 31 rebounds, and we’re climbing from a deep hole. I’m running out of superlatives, but that was really one hell of a game.”

Dillinger finished with 20 points, coming in the fourth where Butch unloaded 20 of his total output.

BOX SCORES
MERALCO (109)- Butch 40, Dillinger 20, Wilson 12, David 11, Hodge 9, Caram 6, Mandani 4, Hugnatan 3, Guevarra 2, Artadi 2, Ildefonso 0, Al-Hussaini 0.
AIR21 (98) – Witherspoon 44, Cardona 22, Taulava 11, Yeo 7, Borboran 4, Villanueva 4, Camson 4, Atkins 2, Poligrates 0, Ramos 0, Burtscher 0.
QUARTER SCORES: 25-18, 42-53, 68-86, 109-98.