MERALCO gained a measure of revenge on Barangay Ginebra in the form of a 90-73 victory on Wednesday in their first encounter in the PBA Philippine Cup since their title showdown to end last season.
Chris Banchero led the Bolts to an early lead at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum and they never looked back on the way to their second straight win - and a 5-3 card- under stand-in coach Luigi Trillo.
The win comes as a timely tonic for the Bolts, who once lost to the Gin Kings in their most recent Governors’ Cup Finals playoff last April.
Trillo said fatigue could be setting in for Ginebra, which has lost two in a row after playing three games in a span of one week.
“It was nice to see multiple guys chip in from our team,” said Trillo, who celebrated his 47th birthday on Wednesday. “The last game against Rain or Shine, the first group played well, the second group needed improvement.
"And we talked about that, we are trying to get multiple guys to contribute. And I thought the second group helped the first group.”
Newsome tallied 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals while Banchero scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half when the Bolts raced to a 51-33 lead at the break.
Hodge finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and four blocks. He scored five in the third quarter where the Bolts built their biggest lead at 72-50.
Scottie Thompson had 14 points for the Gin Kings, who dropped to third with a 6-3 win-loss mark.
The scores:
Meralco 90 – Newsome 19, Banchero 17, Hodge 14, Quinto 10, Black 9, Maliksi 8, Almazan 6, Pascual 4, Johnson 3, Belo 0, Caram 0, Hugnatan 0, Pasaol 0, Jose 0, Baclao 0.
Barangay Ginebra 73 – Thompson 14, Pinto 12, J. Aguilar 11, Standhardinger 10, Tenorio 7, Pringle 6, Chan 5, Caperal 4, David 2, Mariano 2.
Quarters: 24-16; 51-33; 72-50; 90-73.
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