MANILA, Philippines – Meralco held Alaska to its lowest scoring output in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup as the Bolts ended the Aces’ 7-game winning streak with a rousing 89-74 triumph at the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, June 17.

Chris Newsome churned out 18 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds to lead 5 other players in double figures for Meralco, which kept the Aces below 90 points for the first time in the mid-season conference.

To put that into perspective, the Aces have scored at least 100 points for 7 outings and once poured in 134 points in a single game – the highest scoring output made by a team in the Commissioner’s Cup.

Baser Amer chalked up 17 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds, Jared Dillinger finished with 17 points and two steals while import Arinze Onuaku had 14 points, 23 rebounds and 4 assists as Meralco handed Alaska its first loss since April 27. 

It was a nip-and-tuck battle at halftime with the Bolts holding a slim one-point lead before turning into a higher gear in the 3rd quarter by outscoring the Aces, 32-17, for a 73-57 cushion heading into the final frame.

The Aces trimmed their deficit to just 8 points early in the 4th quarter, 65-73, but that was the closest they could get as the Bolts dropped an 11-0 bomb, highlighted by triples from Amer and Dillinger, to pull away for good. 

“It was a critical game for us, if we wanted to try to get the twice-to-beat advantage. Now that we’re able to beat Alaska, at least now we can start to focus on that,” said Meralco head coach Norman Black.

KG Canaleta and Ranidel de Ocampo conjoined for 21 points and 7 rebounds for the Bolts, who won their 4th straight game to tie the Aces at second place with identical 7-2 cards. 

Antonio Campbell paced the Aces with 25 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals and two blocks while Vic Manuel still continued his streak of scoring at least 20 points to 8 games after finishing with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Chris Banchero was the only other Alaska player in double figures with 13 points to go with 5 assists, 3 rebounds and two steals. 

The Scores: 

Meralco (89): Newsome 18, Dillinger 17, Amer 17, Onuaku 14, Canaleta 11, De Ocampo 10, Hugnatan 2, Hodge 0, Caram 0, Lanete 0

Alaska (74): Campbell 25, Manuel 22, Banchero 13, Casio 5, Thoss 4, Pascual 3, Enciso 2, Racal 0, Exciminiano 0, Baclao 0

Quarter scores: 23-19, 41-40, 73-57, 89-74

– Rappler.com