ANTIPOLO – Meralco overcame the departure of Akil Mitchell and spoiled Rain or Shine’s debut, 121-111, to gain the early lead in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup, Sunday night at the Ynares Center here.
The Bolts lost their import 12 seconds into the match after suffering a broken nose following an inadvertent hit by Keith Datu, reducing the matchup to an all-Filipino duel as the opposition didn’t have Deon Thompson (papers).
Still, they managed to take control of the game and even led by 11, but needed to repel one last Elasto Painters rally on the way to a 2-0 card — and create a three-way tie with NorthPort and Hong Kong Eastern atop the standings.
Bong Quinto came through with crucial free throws down the stretch, going a perfect 4-for-4 inside the last 19.3 seconds for the eventual final score after their foes got to within just five, 116-111, entering the final minute.
Commendable was the composure that Coach Luigi Trillo’s wards showed, most especially after the heated altercation between RoS mentor Yeng Guiao and Meralco active consultant Nenad Vucinic at the 8:10-mark of the fourth.
“I think that kinda motivated ‘yung mga boys namin, it kind of kept us sharp,” said Trillo regarding the exit of Mitchell, who was brought to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan to undergo necessary treatment.
Chris Newsome top-scored for the Philippine Cup champions with 25 points and five assists, scoring 21 in the first half alone as he asserted himself offensively in the absence of the 6-foot-9 forward-center from Charlotte.
Quinto, meanwhile, finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and the same number of assists, while Jansen Rios supplied 16 points.
Norbert Torres made 13 points. Raymond Almazan tallied a triple-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds while Anjo Caram added 10 markers.
“Gusto lang talaga namin maglaro, especially for Akil,” said Quinto, proud as well of how the team collectively contributed despite missing not just Mitchell but also the veteran guard in Chris Banchero and Allein Maliksi.
Meralco will next face the winless Terrafirma on Friday, December 6, 5:00 p.m.at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in a bid to go 3-0 in the tournament.
Datu, meanwhile, led Rain or Shine with 17 points in the loss. Adrian Nocum had 15 points while Santi Santillan supplied 14 and seven rebounds.
Caelan Tiongson and Andrei Caracut added 12 and 11 markers, respectively as both players tried to will themselves back into the game but missed key shots.
The Elasto Painters, hoping that they will have Thompson in tow, will face Eastern next on Wednesday, December 4, 7:30 p.m. also at NAS.
The Scores:
Meralco 121 – Newsome 25, Quinto 20, Rios 16, Torres 13, Almazan 12, Hodge 11, Caram 10, Black 9, Pascual 2, Jose 2, Pasaol 1, Mitchell 0.
Rain or Shine 111 – Datu 17, Nocum 15, Santillan 14, Clarito 13, Tiongson 12, Caracut 11, Lemetti 9, Belga 6, Norwood 5, Malonzo 5, Ildefonso 2, Demusis 2.
Quarterscores: 33-25, 52-49, 89-81, 121-111
