At A Glance
- Meralco broke out of its slump even with the absence of veteran forward Cliff Hodge, taking down struggling Blackwater, 103-85, in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Wednesday, May 21.
Meralco broke out of its slump even with the absence of veteran forward Cliff Hodge, taking down struggling Blackwater, 103-85, in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Wednesday, May 21.
Chris Newsome led the charge for the Bolts who dominated the Bossing from start to finish, even erecting a lead as high as 22-points en route to the much-needed victory that snapped the team’s two-game losing slide.
Newsome fired 19 points, seven rebounds to go with three steals but also got ample support with CJ Cansino adding 14 in quality minutes off the bench.
Chris Banchero added 13 while Toto Jose and Brandon Bates held the fort in Hodge’s absence in the paint with 12 and 10, respectively. Bates even stepped up defensively adding seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Hodge missed the contest after being slapped with a one-game suspension after his dangerous take down to Magnolia big man Zav Lucero in the Bolts last time out.
The defending champions improved to a 4-5 record though only good for the eighth spot in the standings midway through the eliminations.
Christian David paced Blackwater with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Sedrick Barefield had 23. The Bossing, however, continued their slide to a 1-5 slate.