After dropping a heartbreaking season-opener against the Blackwater Elite, the Meralco Bolts notched their first win of the 2016-17 PBA Philippine Cup against the NLEX Road Warriors, 106-93, in the first game of Saturday’s double-header at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Chris Newsome led the way with a game-high 28 points on 11-for-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Ed Daquioag moved on from his six-point rookie debut with 23 points and four rebounds in the resounding Meralco victory.
The Bolts took the lead after three closely-contested quarters, that had quickly swung in NLEX’s favor after Sean Anthony and Garvo Lanete both shot consecutive perimeter jumpers. As the lead went back-and-forth until the seven minute mark of the final quarter, at which the re-entry of Ed Daquioag sparked the Bolts’ stagnant offense with a triple that gave them the lead for good.
Meralco stymied the Road Warriors defensively down the stretch, in which they cooled off from downtown. Moreover, Daquioag and Newsome both hit triples in two consecutive possessions to lift Meralco to the victory and barge their way into the win column.
After the match, Newsome opened up about the importance of maintaining energy, and shared how he has been feeling recently as the new face of the franchise after Jimmy Alapag’s retirement.
“This time we knew they were gonna play with a lot of energy since they won last game, but we just knew we had to play hard and stick to the gameplan.” said Newsome.
Looking ahead, Newsome shared that he still seeks Alapag’s advise to lead the team, saying, “That’s a tough shoes to fill. Good thing that he’s still there whenever I need advise on what to do, and the approach on the situations. It’s a responsibility I’m willing to accept.”
Despite the Road Warriors notching five more triples against Meralco, the Bolts used their 51-42 rebounding edge for the win. Moreover, they dominated the paint battle with more points from the inside, 52-32.
Six players for NLEX figured in double-figures, led by Sean Anthony’s 15 points off the bench, to go along with eight rebounds, and two blocks. Eric Camson, Garvo Lanete, and Raul Soyud each had 14 markers in the loss.
Meralco (1-1) will have the TNT KaTropa (2-1) as their next assignment on December 9 at the Big Dome. Meanwhile, NLEX (1-1) look to get back in the winning column against the Star Hotshots (0-2) on December 7 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
Meralco (106) – Newsome 28, Daquioag 23, Hodge 12, Caram 11, Nabong 11, Yeo 7, Grey 6, chua 4, Al-Hussaini 2, Faundo 2, Amer 0, Bono 0, Hugnatan 0, Uyloan 0.
NLEX (93) – Anthony 15, Camson 14, Lanete 14, Soyud 14, Alas 10, Lastimosa 10, Villanueva J. 7, Baracael 5, Guinto 4, Khobuntin 0, Monfort 0, Taulava 0.
Quarterscores: 21-25, 56-54, 79-77, 106-93
