THE Meralco Bolts unleashed a furious third-quarter rally to beat Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 122-114, in a Group B matchup of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governor’s Cup on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Jason Brickman put up nine points in a game-changing 41-21 run in the third quarter that shifted the momentum to the Bolts’ side, securing a 95-83 cushion.
Brickman finished the night with 19 points and seven assists to claim Player of the Game honors.
“This win is very important, every game is important. I think we have a tough group and all the games are going to be tough to win so (it’s) important to bounce back after a loss,” Brickman told PBA.com.
Bolts interim import Antonio Hester, filling in for the injured Jordon Varnado, anchored the paint with a solid double-double of 21 points and nine rebounds. Meralco also drew balanced offensive support from Chris Banchero, who chipped in 15 markers, followed by Bong Quinto (14), CJ Cansino (12) and Chris Newsome (10).
In the other half of the doubleheader, the San Miguel Beermen relied on a gritty defense in the endgame to survive a scare from the Terrafirma Dyip, 109-104, at the same venue.
Beermen reinforcement George King put on a monster double-double of 37 points and 14 rebounds. His four consecutive clutch points in the dying moments put San Miguel back into the driver’s seat, 105-104, with just 39.1 seconds remaining on the clock.
Free throws from CJ Perez and Don Trollano in the final seconds ultimately sealed the hard-fought victory for the powerhouse Beermen. / RSC
