CJ CANSINO nailed a crucial four with 1:21 left to give Meralco a 101-90 win over TNT that tied their PBA 50th Season Commissioner’s Cup semifinals at 2-2 on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Cansino regained his shooting touch after struggling in the first three games of the semifinals, giving Meralco a big lift after it lost new import Patrick Gardner with still 3:26 left in the game following his sixth foul.
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Gardner had a solid Meralco debut with 20 points on 3-of-6 shooting from threes and 13 rebounds before he got his sixth foul with the Bolts leading, 91-85.
Meralco’s lead was cut down to 93-90 following a three by RR Pogoy but Cansino's clutch 4-pointer - and a maze of errors by TNT - decided the outcome.
It was a huge bounce back for Cansino, who finished with 17 points on 7-of-14 from the field after averaging only eight points in the first three games while playing with a broken nose.
“We had to weather that comeback of theirs in the fourth” said Meralco coach Luigi Trillo. “We know that they zoned the last game. Today, they were zoning again but we managed it quite well.”
Javee Mocon added 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Aaron Black had 12 points for the Bolts.
Chris McCullough had 24 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in his first game for TNT since replacing Bol Bol, but the Tropang 5G started out flat with a 28-15 deficit, forcing them to play catch-up all game.
The scores:
Meralco 101 – Gardner 20, Cansino 17, Mocon 13, Black 12, Newsome 11, Hodge 8, Banchero 8, Brickman 6, Quinto 4, Almazan 2.
TNT 90 – McCullough 24, Heading 15, Pogoy 14, Ganuelas-Rosser 14, Oftana 10, Castro 8, Galinato 4, Williams 1, Nambatac 0, Enciso 0, Aurin 0, Khobuntin 0, Quitevis 0.
Quarters: 32-23; 50-48; 73-71; 101-90.
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