Ross picks Air21’s pockets, snatches win for Meralco

MANILA, Philippines – Pesky Meralco guard Chris Ross, the No. 1 thief in the league in the last two seasons, made huge heists in the crunch versus Air21, enabling the Bolts to preserve an 89-88 win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

Ross pulled a total of five steals, including two inside the last 15 seconds as the Bolts escaped with the mind-boggling victory after losing an 18-point spread on Michael Dunigan’s 30-point second-half explosion.

Dunigan turned hero to goat for the Express on his endgame lapses allowing the Bolts to notch a second straight win and hit the .500 mark with a 3-3 win-loss record.

The Express lost yet another close game and again found themselves tied with the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the cellar at 1-5.

“At this stage, it’s really basketball education for us, and it’s a great relief that through our learning process, we’re finding ways to win,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.

“I’m just so happy with the kind of warrior mentality that my players have. We lost a big lead and we’re teetering on the brink of defeat. Down by three and needing to make the stops, and we did,” Gregorio added.

Ross best typified the fighting spirit that the Bolts showed in the game with his big steals in the closing seconds. The first one led to Ross himself making two charities that shoved them back in the lead at 89-88 with 11.9 ticks left.

With no more timeout left, the Express ran a quick play that Ross himself broke, intercepting a Dunigan pass to Mike Cortez.

The Bolts then dribbled the time away, and thus caught up with the Barako Bull Energy at fourth place at 3-3.

Also preserved by Ross’ heroics were Eric Dawson’s huge double-double job of 35 points and 17 rebounds and Sunday Salvacion’s 6-of-9 three-point shooting.

In his first game in the season against Globalport Sunday, Salvacion also fired away six three-pointers, including a buzzer-beater in Meralco’s 90-89 thriller of a win.

Salvacion picked up from where he left off Sunday and led Meralco’s hot charge that saw them lead by as many as 18 at 60-42.

Dunigan single-handedly wiped out that Meralco spread as he scattered 30 points in the last two quarters. The bull-strong import, finishing with a conference best 40, punished his defenders to the delight of his mother who’s cheering on the Air21 gallery.

Dunigan scored eight straight points to cap a 14-2 tear that pushed the Express ahead at 88-85 with two minutes left to play.

But the Bolts got away with crucial steals at the finish and went on to steal the game itself.

Dawson had his own steal off Dunigan before hitting a short stab as the Bolts made it a one-point game at 87-88.