CJ Cansino landed the haymaker to help Meralco put down TNT once and for all, 101-90, to tie things up at two games apiece in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Wednesday.
The sophomore guard finished with 17 points, none more important than the four-pointer he knocked down under duress for the 97-90 lead with 1:21 to go, effectively stopping the Tropang 5G and their comeback from 11 down.
Javee Mocon scored off a cleanup, before Cliff Hodge converted a tough layup off a strong drive to the cup as the troika put together an 8-0 run to finish the bout, eventually pushing the all-MVP Group series to a virtual best-of-3.
That strong closeout also enabled the squad to give new import Patrick Gardner a winning debut. The American-Egyptian forward finished with 20 points–spiked by three triples–and 13 rebounds before fouling out with 3:26 left.
Mocon notched a double-double of his own with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Aaron Black made 12 points while Chris Newsome added 11 markers as the star guard got help from all fronts after being the lone bright spot last game.
