Meralco finds groove late to clip Blackwater

MANILA, Philippines – The Meralco Bolts found their groove late and used a crippling 30-11 fourth quarter surge to overcome the Blackwater Elite, 102-91, on Easter Sunday, April 16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts have now won 6 of their 7 games in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, as Jared Dillinger poured 21 points while import Alex Stephenson had 18 markers plus 15 rebounds and two steals.

Chris Newsome had 14 as up-and-coming guard Baser Amer nearly made it to a double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds.

Kelly Nabong provided valuable minutes off the bench with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting on top of 9 boards, earning him Player of the Game honors.

Coach Norman Black praised his men’s second half effort as they turned a slim 48-44 Blackwater lead at halftime into a double-digit victory.

“Well, we played much better in the second half. Our defnese was much stronger in the second half especially against (Greg) Smith,” he said.

“In the first half, we didn’t do a very good job in the pick-and-rolls and in their post-up plays either. In the second half, we did a better job of keeping Alex matched up with Smith instead of having a local on him at all times.”

Greg Smith topscored for the Elite with 19 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. Michael Digregorio and Niño Canaleta chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively, as the Elite slipped to a 1-5 record.

Scores: 

Meralco (102): Dillinger 21, Stepheson 18, Newsome 14, Nabong 13, Amer 12, Hugnanatn 9, Daquioag 7, Yeo 4, Chua 4, Uyloan 0, Caram 0. 

Blackwater (91): Smith 19, Digregorio 16, Canaleta 14, Pascual 8, Pinto 7, Sena 7, Cruz 5, Aguilar 5, Buenafe 5, Cervantes 3, Miranda 2, Sumang 0.

Quarter scores: 22-24, 44-48, 72-80, 102-91. 

– Rappler.com