ILOILO City – Chris Newsome delivered clutch free throws in the endgame as Meralco Bolts edged Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, 85-80. in the 2023-24 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Saturday night at the University of San Agustin Gym here.
Leading 74-64 with over five minutes left, the Bolts were threatened by a huge fight back by the Hotshots, which cut the deficit to 76-77 on two free throws by Joseph Eriobu.
The Bolts responded with back-to-back conversions from Shonn Miller and Clifford Hodge to widen it to 81-76, but the Hotshots got baskets from Tyler Bey and Andy Mark Barroca for an 80-81 score.
Newsome then connected two free throws to give the Bolts an 83-80 lead with 33 seconds left. He added two more freebies in the final 13 seconds to secure the victory for Meralco.
Newsome finished the game with 17 points, with 10 coming in the fourth quarter, while Miller made his Meralco debut with a double-double of 33 points and 22 rebounds to go with four steals.
Iloilo City-native Anjo Caram also made his presence felt for the Bolts with six points in the fourth quarter, to go with two steals as the Bolts moved to a share of second place with Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters with 7-2 record.
The Bolts started strong behind Miller for an 18-9 start before settling for a 20-16 advantage. The Hotshots turned things around in the second quarter behind Barroca and Bey for a 37-35 halftime lead.
Meralco got three-point conversions from Kier John Quinto to start the third quarter for a 48-44 lead. Magnolia kept the match close before surging to a 58-57 lead on connections from Jiovani Jalalon.
The Bolts regained their offense in the fourth period as six straight points from Caram and connections from Miller and Newsome gave them a 74-64 upperhand via free throws by Allein Maliksi.
Bey finished with a double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Hotshots, while Barroca and Calvin Abueva added 18 and 10 markers, respectively. They dropped to 9-2 record./PN
BOX SCORE:
MERALCO 85 – Miller 33, Newsome 17, Quinto 8, Caram 6, Maliksi 5, Hodge 5, Banchero 3, Rios 2, Bates 2, Black 2, Almazan 2.
MAGNOLIA 80 – Bey 23, Barroca 18, Abueva 10, Jalalon 8, Eriobu 5, Lee 4, Sangalang 4, Dela Rosa 3, Mendoza 3, Laput 2, Tratter 0, Dionisio 0.
Quarterscores: 20-16, 35-37, 57-58, 85-80.
