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In Antipolo Meralco scored 90 points in the fourth quarter to beat Converge 90 to74 on Thursday at the Ynares Center, gaining a share of the PBA Season 47 Philippine Cup lead.
Recap of Meralco vs. Converge match
The Bolts’ offensive onslaught in the third quarter was led by Aaron Black, Allein Maliksi, and Chris Newsome, who led the team to their first blowout loss in franchise history.
After outscoring the FiberXers 29 to 14 in the last period, the Bolts joined San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra atop the team standings with a 2 to 0 win loss record.
After their second straight loss, the FiberXers fell to 1 to 3.
Black scored 25 points, matching his career high, and Maliksi added 22 points, including five three-pointers. For the Bolts, Newsome scored 19 points. In the fourth quarter, the three combined for 22 points.
In the game, the Bolts outrebounded the FiberXers 57 to 44, with Raymond Almazan grabbing 15 and Cliff Hodge grabbing 10.
“We showed a lot of heart tonight,” remarked Norman Black, the head coach. “We’re having some difficulties due to a lack of manpower.” We’ve lost a lot of players this conference, which has affected us a little in terms of depth.
“However, we simply viewed this game as a do-or-die situation,” he added. “We basically approached it as if there was no tomorrow, and it was a must-win situation for us.”
“The key to beating this team today was to do a good job in the rebounds. We went into this game understanding that they were averaging 57 rebounds a game. We don’t want to be in a situation where you play good defense but you can’t get the rebounds,” Norman Black, Meralco’s coach, also mentioned.
Taylor Browne, who recorded a career high 14 points for Converge, was also sabotaged by Meralco.
Early in the fourth quarter, the FiberXers trailed by just two points, 64 to 62, but the Bolts went on a 23 to 5 run to build an 87 to 67 advantage, their largest of the game.
Jeo Ambohot scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a double-double performance.
Meralco is building up momentum as the matches continue. This leaves fans with more to expect from the Meralco Bolts, a electrifying season for PBA Season 47 Philippine Cup.
Summary of Scores:
• Meralco scores 90 – Black 25, Maliksi 22, Newsome 19, Hodge 6, Hugnatan 6, Almazan 5, Jose 4, Quinto 3, Banchero 0, Caram 0, Pasaol 0, Pascual 0, Baclao 0. • Converge scores 74 – Browne 14, Ambohot 10, Teng 8, Adamos 7, DiGregorio 6, Racal 6, Ahanmisi 5, Arana 4, Lojera 4, Murrel 3, Tolomia 2, Hill 2, Stockton 2, Ilagan 1, Bulanadi 0.
