MANILA – Meralco Bolts leaned on a huge second-half breakaway to take down sister team NLEX Road Warriors, 108-92, in the PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Chris Newsome spearheaded the offense with 21 points, while rookie Crispin John Cansino added 20 markers as the Bolts notched their second straight win for a 5-5 win-loss slate.
Kier John Quinto contributed 18 markers, including three triples, while Chris Banchero and Clifford Hodge tallied 16 and 12 points, respectively, for the defending champions Bolts.
From a 54-all score midway through the third period, the Bolts went on a 10-0 blast behind Newsome and Banchero for a 64-54 lead before Cansino unloaded consecutive points to establish an 84-70 lead.
The Road Warriors managed to trim the deficit to 87-97 before the Bolts got timely conversions from Newsome, Banchero, and Quinto to extend the lead to its largest at 108-90.
Robert Bolick Jr. led NLEX with 22 points, JB Bahio and Kevin Alas added 14 markers apiece, while Javee Mocon and Dominick Fajardo had 12 and 11, respectively, as they saw their six-game winning run snapped to drop to a 6-2 record.
Meanwhile, San Miguel Beermen, which only played with 10 players, cruised to their third straight win with a 115-78 rout over Blackwater Bossing.
Jaymar Perez led the way with 20 points, while June Mar Fajardo posted a double-double of 17 points and. 13 rebounds as the Beermen climbed to second place with a 6-2 win-loss record.
John Michael Calma finished with a season-high of 16 points, Celedonio Trollano contributed 15 markers, while Jericho Cruz and Chris Ross tallied 13 and 11 points, respectively, for the Beermen.
Christian David top-scored with 15 points, while RK Ilagan and Bryan Andrade contributed 14 and 10 points, respectively, as the Bossing dropped to a 1-7 win-loss card./PN
BOX SCORE:
MERALCO 108 – Newsome 21, Cansino 20, Quinto 18, Banchero 16, Hodge 12, Black 8, Pasaol 7, Almazan 4, Jose 2, Caram 0, Bates 0.
NLEX 92 – Bolick 22, Bahio 14, Alas 14, Mocon 12, Fajardo 11, Ramirez 6, Nieto 5, Amer 3, Torres 3, Semerad 2, Valdez 0, Herndon 0.
Quarterscores: 21-18, 45-47, 77-70, 108-92.
