ANTIPOLO — Meralco only needed little time to get going before thrashing the hard-luck Terrafirma, 120-87, toward improving to .500 in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center here, Wednesday evening.
The Bolts finished the opening period with a 14-0 run to erase a six-point deficit before exploding for 35 in the ensuing period for the 59-42 lead entering the break, setting the tone for the rout to eventually snap out of a two-game funk.
Coach Luigi Trillo’s wards evened their record to 4-4 following the win, taking solo seventh in the process after sharing as much with Barangay Ginebra.
That may change later in the night though, as the Kings–currently sitting at eighth with a 3-4 card–are scheduled to face the Blackwater Bossing.
CJ Cansino led Meralco with 20 points and eight rebounds. Chris Banchero made 13 points while Chris Newsome supplied 12 points.
Raymond Almazan and Bong Quinto delivered 11 points apiece and combined for 17 rebounds after posting near-double-double performances.
Brandon Bates chipped in seven points and 16 rebounds plus three blocks for a Meralco side that’s back in PBA action after over a month.
