WITH the clock ticking fast in a nail-biting end anew, Meralco stared at an 88-89 deficit against San Miguel Beer last night.
Against the Beermen’s defense that was nowhere to be found when it mattered most, the Bolts patiently swung the leather from the right to the middle, and finally to the left flank where Chris Banchero found an open Chris Newsome.
The flamboyant Meralco playmaker launched a three-pointer that SMB big man Mo Tautuaa tried to contest but he was too steps late–and that proved to be the haymaker.
Showing better resolve this time, the Bolts got back at the Beermen 93-89 in Game 3 of their title showdown for the PBA Philippine Cup title before a good-sized crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Newsome’s dagger of a triple with 34.1 seconds to go gave Meralco a 91-89 cushion and the Bolts forced SMB star CJ Perez to a sorry miss from point-blank in the ensuing play.
The 6-foot-2 Newsome calmly knocked down two pressure-packed free throws with 11.3 ticks left that pegged the final count.
The Beermen muffed their chances in their final offensive attack, with the likes of Marcio Lassiter, reigning seven-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, and Chris Ross missing four tries in a row before the final buzzer that sparked a frenzied celebration from the Meralco’s orange-clad faithful.
“Fifteen lead changes, 16 times that we were tied. You just saw how close this game was. I thought we were okay in our execution,” Trillo said. “They (Beermen) did a lot of zone defense against us and they will do more of it.
“June Mar played 44 minutes in Game 2. Tonight, he played for 40 minutes. We came into the locker room saying we did some things that we were not supposed to do. We had to be more connected,” he added.
Newsome dazzled with a game-high 26 points, to go with four rebounds, and four assists for Meralco while center Raymond Almazan backed him up with a double-double of 17 markers and 13 boards.
Bong Quinto also had 16 points while Banchero and Cliff Hodge combined for 20 as the Bolts redeemed themselves from a heartbreaking 94-95 loss in the second game three nights back.
