Blackwater beats Meralco in OT

By Adrian Stewart Co

Blackwater Elite came up with huge hits down the stretch to beat the Meralco Bolts, 94-91, in overtime to open the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup last night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
After an exchange of hits from Elite’s Alex Stepheson and the Bolts’ Gani Lawal early in overtime, Blackwater surged to a 93-89 edge on a basket by Rey Mark Belo and free throws by Michael Digregorio.
The Bolts made their last push while down 93-91 on an inside basket by Lawal but a split free throw by Elite’s Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. and a missed shot from the Bolts sealed the win for Blackwater.
Stepheson led the win with a double-double on 21 points and 31 rebounds; Digregorio added 21 markers, including five triples; and Parks, despite a slow start in his PBA debut, still managed to finish with 20 points and eight rebounds./ASC, WDJ