SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Meralco Bolts exploded offensively in the second half as they kept their unblemished record intact by spoiling the TNT KaTropa’s debut, 94-89, in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday, March 24 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Trailing by 4 at halftime, the Bolts slowly came alive as they poured out a dominant 28-18 output in the 3rd. Meralco pushed the lead by as much as 11 in the second half, and held off TNT’s 4th quarter rally as the Castro-less squad missed crucial free throws down the stretch.
The KaTropa had trouble sinking in their free throws throughout the match as they missed 13 to go 38% from the charity stripe.
The Bolts’ reinforcement Alex Stepheson topscored with 20 points to go with 27 boards. He got ample support from Baser Amer and Jared Dillinger, who pitched in 17 apiece.
Chris Newsome likewise had 10 markers on 4-of-7 shooting to go with 3 boards and 7 assists for Meralco.
NBA veteran Lou Amundson, who has replaced Denzel Bowles as the KaTropa’s import this year, meanwhile left a strong impression in his first ever overseas debut as he delivered a 19-point, 18-rebound, 2-block performance.
The 34-year-old Amundson, who last played for the New York Knicks in the 2015-16 NBA season, shared the scoreboard with Roger Pogoy, who had 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go with 9 boards for TNT.
The KaTropa made its Commissioner’s Cup debut sans top point guard Jayson Castro, who previously suffered a hamstring injury that has benched him since Game 7 of the Philippine Cup semis against eventual champions San Miguel Beer.
Scores:
Meralco (94) – Stepheson 20, Amer 17, Dillinger 17, Newsome 10, Hugnatan 10, Faundo 6, Daquioag 5, Hodge 5, Chua 3, Caram 1, Uyloan 0.
TNT (89) – Amundson 19, Pogoy 15, Reyes 11, Fonacier 9, Rosario 6, Tautuaa 6, Rosales 6, Carey 5, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, De Ocampo 3, Williams 3, Tamsi 2, Golla 0, Hernandez 0.
Quarter scores: 22-22, 46-50,74-68, 94-89. – Rappler.com
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