MANILA – Chris Newsome scored on a buzzer-beating layup as Meralco Bolts pulled off a 95-94 victory over Magnolia Hotshots in the 2021 Philippine Basketball Association’s Philippine Cup last night at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
Down 93-94 with four seconds remaining, Newsome lost his Hotshots’ defender Rome dela Rosa before attacking the basket for an easy layup to seal the Bolts’ come-from-behind triumph.
The Filipino-American guard ended with 14 points, four rebounds, and two assists as the Bolts notched their third straight win and moved to a 5-1 win-loss slate this season.
Capiznon Rey Mark Belo led the Bolts with 22 points, Clifford Hodge had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Negrense Reynel Hugnatan and Allein Maliksi each had 15 points and 11 rebounds, respectively.
With two minutes remaining and Magnolia leading, 93-80, Meralco scored eight consecutive points, including back-to-back triples by Belo and Pasaol, to reduce the deficit to 88-93.
The Hotshots took a 94-88 lead with 51 seconds left after Calvin Abueva split free throws, but the Bolts responded with two free throws from Belo and a triple by Newsome to scrape the deficit to 93-94.
Paul Lee top-scored with 21 points, including five three-point conversions, Abueva had 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Jiovani Jalalon and Ian Sangalang chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively, as the Hotshots fell to 4-1.
With Magnolia suffering its first defeat, TNT Tropang GIGA jumped to solo first place in the rankings with a 4-0 record following a 96-76 thrashing of Blackwater Bossing (0-5) in the opening game. Mikey Williams, a rookie, led TNT with a career-high 16 points.
In the second game, Terrafirma Dyip (1-4) gained its first victory after a 110-104 overtime triumph against powerhouse San Miguel Beermen (3-2).
Trailing by 16 points, the Dyip staged a fourth-quarter rally behind Juan Miguel Tiongson, Aldrech Ramos, and Eric James Camson to post 93-94 before Tiongson sent the game into overtime with a two-point basket.
Tiongson and Camson scored early in the extended session to give the Dyip a 104-100 advantage. Terrafirma won on free throws by McCarthy, Camson, and Matthew Ganuelas-Rosser after the Beermen missed their attempts.
Tiongson recorded a career-high 28 points, aided by four three-pointers, while Ramos added 17 points for the Dyip, who were without standout rookies Joshua Munzon and Roosevelt Adams due to injuries.
BOX SCORE:
MERALCO 95 – Belo 22, Hodge 18, Hugnatan 15, Newsome 14, Maliksi 11, Black 6, Almazan 4, Pasaol 3, Quinto 2, Pinto 0, Jackson 0.
MAGNOLIA 94 – Lee 21, Abueva 18, Jalalon 12, Sangalang 10, Barroca 8, Dela Rosa 8, Corpuz 8, Ahanmisi 5, Reavis 2, Dionisio 2, Melton 0, Pascual 0.
QUARTERSCORES:
17-22, 39-50, 66-71, 95-94./PN
