Chris Newsome closed it out as Meralco gave Rain or Shine the boot, 98-89, to complete the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinal cast on Monday night.
The star guard led all scorers with 31 points, including the Bolts’ final 12 of the match as he took matters in his own hands come winning time to ultimately help his side complete their coup against the twice-to-beat Elasto Painters.
He knocked down a crucial jumper from the perimeter to push their lead to 90-82 with 1:13 to go, effectively taking the wind out of their foes’ sails.
Newsome would then make RoS pay for fouling him to freeze the clock with the hope he’d miss, going a perfect 6-for-6 in his trips inside the last 35.7 on their way to arranging an all-MVP showdown with TNT in the semifinals.
(C) PBA Images
“It really just comes down to believing in what we do, trusting what we do, and just going after it altogether,” said the 34-year-old, who also finished with three rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks to submit a full line.
Also crucial in the triumph was Chris Banchero, who supplied 21 points for a Meralco team that became the second team this conference alone to overcome a twice-to-win disadvantage after Ginebra did as much versus Converge.
It happened Sunday night, which saw Stephen Holt bury the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to cap off the Kings’ dramatic comeback.
Sophomore CJ Cansino made 14 points and eight rebounds. Bong Quinto had 11 points and five boards while Cliff Hodge supplied 10 rebounds for the Bolts.
Together, they put an end not only to Rain or Shine’s conference but to Gabe Norwood’s retirement tour as well. The 40-year-old swingman played his final game, closing the curtain on a PBA career that spanned 17 long years.
“Congratulations to Gabe Norwood. What a sensational career. Really, really proud of what he’s done,” offered Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo.
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Adrian Nocum led the Elasto Painters with 29 points on 52.7-percent shooting from the floor as he was at the forefront of their comeback that fell just short.
The high-flying guard was responsible for tying the game up at 77-all with 6:04 left in the fourth. He scored six straight, including his lone four of the match.
However, that proved to be their last hurrah as Hodge completed a three-point play for the 80-77 lead with 5:40 remaining, which put Meralco ahead for good.
Gian Mamuyac was the only other double-digit scorer for the Elasto Painters with 20 points in the defeat that saw the squad struggle to shoot again as they only sank four of their 25 attempts from three-point distance.
The Scores:
Meralco 98 – Newsome 31, Banchero 21, Cansino 14, Quinto 11, Almazan 5, Rios 5, Hodge 4, Black 4, Bates 2, Pascual 1, Reyson 0.
Rain or Shine 89 – Nocum 29, Mamuyac 20, Clarito 9, Malonzo 8, Caracut 7, Santillan 7, Tiongson 6, Norwood 3, Pringle 0, Villegas 0, Manaytay 0.
Quarterscores: 20-26, 43-37, 66-59, 98-89.
