MANILA (UPDATED) - The Meralco Bolts got yet another tremendous effort from import Tony Bishop, as they claimed an impressive 101-95 win over the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Bishop outplayed Ginebra counterpart Justin Brownlee as he put up 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting while grabbing 13 boards and dishing out seven assists. The Bolts improved to 4-0 in the 2021 PBA Governors' Cup, allowing them to tie the Magnolia Hotshots at the top of the team standings.

Chris Newsome added 12 points and seven assists, while Chris Banchero came off the bench and played nearly 24 minutes in his debut for Meralco. He contributed 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists, though he also had four turnovers.

Cliff Hodge had eight points and eight boards, and made countless hustle plays particularly down the stretch that kept the Bolts in control.

"We had to gut it out. It wasn't a very pretty victory, being quite honest with you. We didn't shoot the ball that well, and we didn't execute that well offensively," observed Meralco coach Norman Black.

"But we strung together some defensive stops in the second half that allowed us to separate a little bit, and allowed us to win the game," he added.

Brownlee struggled from the field, making just 11 of 25 shots for 27 points, though he nailed a three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter that briefly gave the Gin Kings an 89-87 lead.

The Bolts answered with a 9-0 blast, capped by three free throws from Aaron Black, to surge ahead 96-89 with 2:40 to play. A pair of charities by Christian Standhardinger got Ginebra closer, but off a missed jumper by Bishop, Hodge saved the ball from going out of bounds and got it to Allein Maliksi, who nailed a crucial triple.

Maliksi's clutch hit gave Meralco a 99-91 lead with two minutes left, though Brownlee would get a layup on the other end to make it a six-point game. But Newsome responded with a bucket of his own for a 101-93 count with 55 seconds to go, and LA Tenorio's layup with 25 seconds left did little to impact the result.

"Right now our goal is to make it to the playoffs, make it to the quarterfinals, and hopefully to the twice-to-beat. That's what we're aiming for right now," said Black after the game. "Beating Ginebra is a big deal as far as we're concerned, because they've beaten us a lot in the past."

Scottie Thompson had 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists for Ginebra, while Christian Standhardinger had 17 points and five boards. Unfortunately for the Gin Kings, the Fil-German forward had to be helped off the floor with 62 seconds left after slipping on a wet spot near the free throw line.

Ginebra has now lost back-to-back games to drop to 3-2, putting them in a three-way-tie with idle San Miguel and Alaska in the middle of the standings.

The Scores:

MERALCO 101 – Bishop 30, Newsome 12, Banchero 12, Maliksi 11, Almazan 8, Quinto 8, Hodge 8, Black 6, Caram 4, Hugnatan 2

GINEBRA 95 – Brownlee 27, Thompson 18, Standhardinger 17, Aguilar 10, Tenorio 10, Tolentino 5, Chan 3, Pinto 2, Caperal 3

QUARTERS: 29-22, 45-46, 79-76, 101-95