In an intense and thrilling overtime game, the Meralco Bolts escaped with a 132-129 victory over Converge FiberXers in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday. Despite blowing an 18-point lead, the Bolts managed to hang on and move up to the fifth spot in the standings.

Allein Maliksi hit a critical triple to give the Bolts a two-point lead, 130-128, with only 34 seconds left on the clock. However, he was ejected after grabbing the neck of Barkley Ebona, who had committed a hard foul on him. Anjo Caram, who was fielded for the first time in the game, made two free throws to seal the win for Meralco.

KJ McDaniels was the top scorer for the Bolts with 33 points and 12 rebounds, while Aaron Black set a new career-high with 28 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Meralco's balanced attack spoiled Converge's import Jamaal Franklin's incredible performance of 57 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Despite the win, Meralco coach Norman Black acknowledged that the Bolts needed to beat Phoenix Super LPG on Sunday to have a chance of securing a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.