MERALCO escaped with a 97-94 win over NLEX, but may have lost more Sunday in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the PhilSports Arena.
Chris Banchero delivered a floater in the last 2.8 seconds that proved to be the go-ahead basket after the Bolts squandered an imposing 29-point third-quarter lead and got caught at 94.
"They were switching all ball screens and we were going to New (Chris Newsome) most of the time. Coach Nenad (Vucinic) called that last play and it was a good play. So we used New (as bait) and we faked with CB and prayed he could make that. He had a good first half so big bucket for us," said Meralco coach Luigi Trillo.
Whatever momentum the Road Warriors hoped to tide them home vanished when Don Trollano, who was instrumental in the catch-up job, stepped out of the sideline after sprinting to receive the inbound pass.
Bong Quinto then canned the front end of his charity off a penalty foul by Trollano and intentionally missed the second one, leaving Kris Rosales with a desperation court-long heave that fell way short.
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It was the second straight win for Meralco, putting it at 4-1 overall, but one that came with a heavy cost.
Su Braimoh, who was seemingly unstoppable in the early goings and supposed to be a stabilizing factor for the Bolts in the endgame, had to exit the game after suffering a suspected Achilles injury on his left leg.
Before being helped out of the court and venue to be properly checked on in a hospital, Braimoh already had 38 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
"A win is a win but more than that we're worried about Su," said Trillo. He felt something with his Achilles and Su's been playing so well for us. It's painful to see a guy like that, good character. I think he's a great import, he's a perfect fit for us and seeing him like that hurts, eh. It takes a little bit off the win for us."
Banchero feels the same way. "I feel really bad for Su. He's such a good guy and, yeah, it's tough," he said.
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"Any time you see injuries happen you feel for him, especially a guy of that character. It's really unfortunate," added Banchero, who tallied 15 points in only his second game back from a hamstring injury.
It was the second straight loss for NLEX, dropping it to 2-4. But not after a gallant stand that saw it shrug off a lackadaisical first half and as much as a 48-77 deficit.
After scoring just five points in a 72-99 beatdown from Magnolia, Don Trollano rebounded in a big way by scoring 24 points to share team scoring honors with Stokley Chaffee, who also had eight rebounds. (NC)
