Meralco rallied from a 16-point deficit to stun Barangay Ginebra, 89-75, to claim back-to-back wins after dropping its first two games in the PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Chris Newsome, CJ Cansino, Bong Quinto, Allein Maliksi, Aaron Black and Brandon Bates were among those responsible for overhauling the Gin Kings’ 54-38 lead in the third with a massive fourth quarter that turned the tide in the Bolts’ favor. Newsome led the charge with 19 points on top of eight rebounds and four assists as Meralco won the second of a hectic schedule of three games in five nights, atoning for stinging losses to Titan Ultra and Rain or Shine in Rizal.
The Bolts wrap up that stretch on Sunday in Rodriguez against Magnolia at the new Ynares Center before flying to Japan for the start of their East Asia Super League campaign with Justin Brownlee, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Ismael Romero as imports.
Ginebra dropped to 1-2 after wasting a comfortable lead, with RJ Abarrientos scoring 14 points but on a 3-of-10 clip. The Gin Kings’ schedule won’t get any easier as they now prepare for a trip to Dubai to play the San Miguel Beermen on Oct. 26.
Cansino added 18 points, helping the Bolts pull away after pulling ahead 67-66 on Newsome’s corner triple in the fourth, while Bates posted six points and 14 rebounds.
Quinto hit some late shots for 11 points while Maliksi added seven for Meralco.