Long time no see, Meralco!
Playing with a sense of urgency to avoid being kicked out from the playoff race, the Meralco Bolts served Rain or Shine Elasto Painters a cold stunner and their second loss in a row, 82-72 in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The Bolts’ big win over RoS kept their playoff hopes alive as they are now sporting a 3-7 card. The Elasto Painters, meanwhile, missed another chance to clinch a playoff spot and dropped to 5-4, joining Blackwater at the third spot of the standings.
“We’re keeping our hopes alive even if we need a lot of teams to lose. We don’t have our control of our destinies this time,” said Meralco head coach Norman Black.
The win snaps Meralco’s six-game losing skid, which started last December 14, 2016 into the hands of Alaska. Their last loss prior to tonight’s match came from the hands of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel last January 14.
Cliff Hodge finished with a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds to go along with four blocks. Chris Newsome paced Meralco with 19 points on a 6-of-12 clip, four rebounds, and six assists, while Jonathan Uyloan added 14 markers.
“It’s nice to see our players put in a lot of effort this game. I wish that I had seen this four or five games back, but I’m just happy to see our team win tonight,” Black said.
The Bolts, behind the waxing-hot offense of Hodge and Uyloan, had their first taste of a wide lead in as early as the first quarter, 35-20, after split charities from Rabeh Al-Hussaini with 26.4 on the clock. From there, Meralco sustained their momentum in the next three periods to keep RoS at bay.
RoS managed to fight back come the game’s final stretch. Trailing by 13, 74-61, with 8:26 to go, Rain or Shine went off to an 8-3 run anchored by James Yap to close in by eight, 77-69, with 3:25 left. They tried to trim the gap further, but their shots could not hit the mark, helping the Bolts seal the needed win.
Jared Dillinger also played his first game back since the Game Two of the 2016 Governors Cup Finals. The surprise started gave an inspirational lift to the Bolts, finishing the game with three points , five rebounds, and two assists in 27 minutes of game time.
The E-Painters were led by Yap with 17 markers on 7-of-14 from the field to go along with four boards and three dimes of his. Jewel Ponferrada backed him up with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Both squads shot just above 30 percent tonight. Meralco shot 36 percent from the field while Rain or Shine struggled to find the hole, shooting just 31 percent. The Bolts barely won the battle in rebounds as well, 58-55.
Both teams will have a week-long break before taking on their respective opponents. Meralco will play Star on Saturday, January 28, 3:00 PM at Philsports Arena, while Rain or Shine will face Globalport on Sunday, January 29, 4:15 PM still at the Astrodome
The Scores:
Meralco (82) – Newsome 19, Hodge 17, Uyloan 14, Al-Hussaini 10, Chua 9, Hugnatan 4, Dillinger 3, Daquioag 2, Grey 2, Nabong 2, Amer 0.
Rain or Shine (72) – Yap 17, Ponferada 11, Chan 9, Cruz 9, Belga 7, Trollano 7, Washington 6, Tiu 4, Norwood 2, Ahanmisi 0.
Quarterscores: 35-20, 49-35, 68-56, 82-72.
