Wednesday night proved to be yet another proof as to why Meralco entrusts its fate on Chris Newsome come winning time when they faced Magnolia in the 2021 Honda-PBA Philippine Cup resumption at the DHVSU Gym.
The six-year pro came up big in the clutch, sinking a lay-up right before time expired to lead the Bolts to a thrilling 95-94 victory.
That left-handed finish of his, which he created against the defense of top Hotshots defender Rome Dela Rosa, completed the Bolts’ miraculous comeback from 13 points down inside the game’s final two minutes.
Newsome went on to finish with 14 points on 50-percent shooting from the field, alongside four assists and two rebounds.
“Let’s face it, that was a huge shot by Chris Newsome when he drove to the basket to win the game,” lauded head coach Norman Black.
The Ateneo product has long embraced the role of being that guy for Meralco in closing moments. And his latest game-winner was reminiscent of the heroic act he did in the Philippine Cup bubble last year in Clark.
It was against the Terrafirma Dyip at the time. He sank a tough fadeaway jumper all over the defense of CJ Perez at the buzzer, saving his side from a major collapse as they lost hold of a 20-point lead.
“So, he’s normally our closer, and he just made another game-winning shot for us,” said the two-time Grand Slam-winning mentor.
As proud as he is with his mentee, Black tipped his hat to the Bolts in general for the guts they showed, which ultimately led to their third straight win. They rose to the second spot of the standings with a 5-1 record.
“I didn’t really know how we would play tonight, but at the same time, I’m really happy for the guys. They never gave up,” he said.
“We struggled the entire game … we just hung in there, made some big plays down the stretch with the pressure defense, forcing some steals, and it led to this victory. So it was a victory where the team really showed a lot of guts.”
