In a battle of struggling teams, the Meralco Bolts toppled the NorthPort Batang Pier in two grueling overtime periods, 126-123, in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup, Friday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Chris Newsome had 28 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Meanwhile, Baser Amer and Cliff Hodge had 23 points apiece in the victory that snapped their three-game losing skid and improved their win-loss record to 3-5.
“It was a hard-fought game … I had a lot of heroes on my side,” said Bolts head coach Norman Black.
The Bolts clawed their way back from a six-point deficit with 30.1 seconds left in regulation thanks to Newsome. He scored four of their last six points, including the inbound alley-oop play with two ticks left that sent the game into OT.
Amer, meanwhile, rose to the occasion in the second extra period, nailing back-to-back three-pointers to give the Bolts a wide 121-113 advantage with 2:13 left to play. Meralco then hit cruise control the rest of the way.
Nico Salva and Trevis Jackson led the Orangemen’s bench mob with 16 and 11 points, respectively. Veteran Ranidel De Ocampo also made his presence felt with a near triple-double of 15 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
Stanley Pringle led the Batang Pier with 33 points. Sean Anthony supplied 31 points and 16 rebounds, while Mo Tautuaa flirted with a double-double with 21 points and eight rebounds. Jonathan Grey chimed in 15 markers.
The Batang Pier have fallen to their fourth straight loss and are now 2-4.
Meralco will play the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters next Friday, March 15, at Cuneta Astrodome. On the other hand, NorthPort will aim to end their struggles versus the San Miguel Beermen this Sunday, March 10, still at the Big Dome.
The Scores:
Meralco 126 – Newsome 28, Amer 23, Hodge 23, Salva 16, De Ocampo 15, Jackson 11, Quinto 4, Hugnatan 4, Pinto 2, Caram 0, Faundo 0.
NorthPort 123 – Pringle 33, Anthony 31, Tautuaa 21, Grey 15, Bolick 5, Taha 4, Elorde 4, Guinto 4, Flores 2, Arana 2, Sollano 2, Gabayni 0, Lanete 0.
Quarterscores: 28-22, 49-46, 76-72, 106-106, 126-123.
