Meralco fought back from 23 down and frustrated Phoenix, 111-109, in its PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup opener, Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Akil Mitchell nailed the go-ahead one-hander with only a second left to play, before an air-balled jumper by Jason Perkins on the other end enabled the Bolts to complete the comeback after a lackadaisical showing in the first half.
“Collectively just proud of the guys,” said head coach Luigi Trillo post-game. “In the first half I thought we were overpassing. You can see that some guys are free and they are hesitant. [This win is] Big for us. Big for us.”
That issue in the first 24 minutes proved costly as it allowed the Fuel Masters to post a 73-54 halftime lead — a season-high for a half for the latter.
But Meralco managed to wake up coming off the break, slowly chipping away the deficit in the third canto before going full throttle in the fourth.
And soon, Coach Luigi Trillo and Co. would be in the lead, 106-105, thanks to a big Bong Quinto three-pointer with 2:11 remaining in the game.
The Bolts would stay in the driver’s seat the rest of the way, with Chris Newsome pushing their lead to three before Mitchell hit the most important shot of the night that negated Phoenix’s one last fightback attempt behind Tyler Tio.
Mitchell led the way with 27 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and six steals, coming through in the clutch as he overcame his struggles in taking care of the basketball, as evidenced by the seven turnovers he committed.
Newsome finished with 23 points, three rebounds, and six assists. Aaron Black delivered 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists as the lefty combo guard was also instrumental in the Bolts’ fourth-quarter charge.
Quinto made 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists, making sure to finish the game despite being hounded by a hurting right knee. Anjo Caram added 10 markers in the win that saw the squad shoot 54.3-percent from the floor.
Meralco will return to action on Sunday, December 1 as it welcomes the debuting Rain or Shine at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.
Donovan Smith, on the other hand, finished with 33 points and 9 rebounds to lead Phoenix, which has now lost its second game in as many outings.
Smith actually buried the game-tying bucket off a Tio pocket pass with 16 seconds left to play, but couldn’t stop Mitchell from taking the lead.
Also wasted by the defeat was the new career-high of Kai Ballungay with 18 points and seven rebounds, as well as Tio’s 17 points and eight assists.
It won’t get any easier for the Fuel Masters from here as they will face San Miguel (December 3) and Ginebra (December 13) in their next two games.
The Scores:
Meralco 111 – Mitchell 27, Newsome 23, Black 15, Quinto 14, Caram 10, Rios 8, Hodge 7, Jose 5, Almazan 2, Pasaol 0.
Phoenix 109 – Smith 33, Ballungay 18, Tio 17, Rivero 14, Alejandro 6, Perkins 6, Jazul 6, Manganti 4, Tuffin 3, Verano 2, Ular 0.
Quarterscores: 25-36, 54-73, 78-91, 111-109.
