Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — Led by unheralded yet explosive import Josh Davis, the Meralco Bolts came back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 92-87, Tuesday night in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Davis scored a team-high 31 points, 15 of them in the final quarter as he sparked a devastating 22-4 run by the Bolts en route to their fourth straight win and surprising solo leadership of the conference. The record matched Meralco's best start in franchise history which the Bolts first made in 2011. What is even more remarkable is that three of the four teams Meralco beat are all title contenders – Barangay Ginebra, Rain or Shine and Talk N Text. Davis was Meralco's second choice as import after losing to Barangay Ginebra in securing former PBA best import Michael Dunigan. But Tuesday night, the tireless and versatile 6'8” banger once again proved that Meralco made a wise decision to recruit him. Aside from his prolific scoring, Davis was a force to reckon with in the paint. On Tuesday night, he also tallied 14 rebounds and four blocks. Veteran point guard Mike Cortez complemented Davis' heroics by scoring seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter aside from dishing out a team-high eight assists. Top Meralco gunner Gary David chipped in with 11 points while Cliff Hodge added 10. Sean Anthony also starred for the Bolts, scoring all of his eight points in the fourth quarter. The loss snapped Rain or Shine's two-game winning streak as the Painters slid to a 2-2 win-loss card. Rain or Shine was ahead by 13 points, 76-63, at the start of the fourth quarter. But the trio of Davis, Cortez and Anthony sparked a huge run that catapulted the Bolts to an 85-80 lead with 5:52 remaining. The Painters came back to level the game at 87-all, but Davis and Anthony nailed crucial free throws to seal the game for Meralco. Import Rick Jackson led Rain or Shine with 22 points and 18 rebounds. Paul Lee tallied 12 points while Jeff Chan and Ryan Arana added 11 and 10 points, respectively. GlobalPort 95, Alaska 73 The GlobalPort Batang Pier mauled the injury-plague Alaska Aces, 95-73, for their second win in four outings. CJ Leslie made his last game for GlobalPort memorable by leading his team with 30 points and 18 rebounds. He is set to be replaced by the bulkier Calvin Warner. Terrence Romeo once again was at his explosive best, scoring 25 points, while Stanley Pringle added 12 for the Batang Pier. Import DJ Covington top-scored for Alaska with 25 points and 14 rebounds as the Aces fell to a1-2 card. Alaska went into the game minus four key players — center Sonny Thoss, forwards Calvin Abueva and Vic Manuel and point guard JVee Casio — all nursing injuries. Games Wednesday: Blackwater Elite vs. San Miguel Beermen; NLEX Road Warriors vs. Purefoods Star Hotshots.
