By Adrian Stewart Co

The Meralco Bolts squandered a 17-point lead before escaping with a 101-92 win over the Columbian Dyip last night in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Gani Lawal led the win with a double-double on 25 points and 27 rebounds, Baser Amer added 21 points, and Trevis Jackson chipped 17 markers.
The Bolts started strong with an 18-12 lead behind triples from Jackson and Nard John Pinto. The Dyip then rallied to come within four but the Bolts leaned on inside hits by Lawal for a 50-35 halftime edge.
The Bolts went on to build a 62-45 advantage early in the third on shots from Jackson and Chris Newsome but the Dyip responded with a run and came to within 79-71 after three quarters.
The Dyip pulled even closer to 85-81 in the fourth quarter but the Bolts picked up timely conversions from Clifford Hodge, Newsome, and Amer for a 99-89 edge with just over a minute left in the game./ASC, WDJ