MANILA – Chris Newsome stepped up offensively in the fourth quarter as the Meralco Bolts ousted the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 98-89, in the winner-take-all quarterfinals of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup on Monday night, December 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With Crispin John Cansino and Clifford Hodge limited with foul trouble, Newsome waxed hot offensively by dropping 18 of his 31-point total in the final period to complete the stunner against the Bolts.
With the Painters threatening to within 78-80, Newsome converted four consecutive points, followed by another basket by Chris Banchero, and two more free throws from Newsome to make it an 88-80 lead for the Bolts.
After consecutive hits by Painters’ Adrian Nocum, Newsome responded again with a timely basket followed by six straight free throws to secure the victory for the Bolts.
Banchero added a conference-high of 21 points, Cansino tallied 14 markers before being fouled out, and Kier John Quinto also hit double-digits in offense with 11 points for the Bolts.
Nocum paced the Painters with a conference-best 29 points, while Gian Mamuyac added 20 markers as they saw their streak of four consecutive semifinals appearance snapped.
The defeat also marked the end of a storied 18-year PBA career for Painters forward Gabe Norwood, who ended the match with three points, three steals, two rebounds, and an assist.
With the outcome, the Bolts are facing sister team TNT Tropang 5G in the best-of-seven semifinals series beginning on January 4 at the same venue./PN
BOX SCORE:
MERALCO 98 – Newsome 31, Banchero 21, Cansino 14, Quinto 11, Almazan 5, Rios 5, Hodge 4, Black 4, Bates 2, Pascual 1, Reyson 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 89 – Nocum 29, Mamuyac 20, Clarito 9, Malonzo 8, Caracut 7, Santillan 7, Tiongson 6, Norwood 3, Pringle 0, Villegas 0, Manaytay 0.
Quarterscores: 20-26, 43-37, 66-59, 98-89.
