Meralco needed only little time to get into rhythm and there would be no denying the crew on its way to crushing Rain or Shine, 96-79, in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Saturday night.
The Bolts actually trailed by a field goal barely two minutes into the match but got going all of a sudden, unloading a 14-0 run for a 16-4 lead before finishing the opening period with a commanding 35-15 advantage in a blazing start.
Coach Luigi Trillo’s men came close to scoring 60 at the half and went on to lead by as many as 34, making it practically a one-sided affair as they dragged the twice-to-beat Elasto Painters to a do-or-die on Monday at the Big Dome.
Winner of this encounter will face either the no. 3 seed TNT Tropang 5G or Magnolia, both of which are duking it out in the other bracket later tonight.
A quintet of players finished in twin digits in the triumph, with Chris Newsome, CJ Cansino, and Cliff Hodge leading the pack with 14 points apiece.
Jansen Rios proved to be the surprise spark with 12 points and five rebounds on the way to earning Player of the Game honors.
