Meralco def Brgy. Ginebra, 106-93 [PBA on Tour | July 5, 2023]

Allein Maliksi felt right at home as he returned to his former stomping grounds in España.

The 35-year-old wingman provided the early spark and then delivered the telling blows as Meralco defeated Brgy. Ginebra, 106-93, in the PBA on Tour at the Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena within the historic University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday, July 5.

Maliksi was red-hot early on, scoring 10 of the Bolts’ first 11 points and allowing his team to reclaim control of the game for the majority of it. He scored 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, in addition to 7 rebounds and 3 steals.

The Gin Kings, as they had in their previous three victories, attempted to mount a fightback in the payoff period. The former UST Growling Tiger, however, came through with the clutch hits to thwart the crowd darlings’ comeback attempt.

Brgy. Ginebra, despite a 102-84 deficit and a “Never Say Die” mentality, scored 10 consecutive points in the final two minutes to pull within 10 points.

Maliksi, however, responded with a huge basket, and Cliff Hodge scored a layup to reenergize the Bolts and neutralize the Kings’ threat.

Maliksi and Bong Quinto took turns carrying the offense for Meralco, with each player contributing 23 points. Raymond Almazan recorded a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Von Pessumal led Ginebra in scoring with 26 points and sparked a massive 3rd quarter run which saw them close the gap to single digits.

The Gin Kings faced a 15-point deficit heading into the 4th quarter after an F1 call on Pessumal for a landing spot violation when he challenged Maliksi’s three-point attempt snapped their momentum.