MANILA, Philippines – Terrence Jones erupted for another 40-point game as TNT gained solo lead in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup with a 104-91 thrashing of Meralco at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, June 15.

Scoring 18 straight in the final frame, Jones raised his PBA career-high to 49 points to electrify the KaTropa to their fourth straight victory and a place atop the team standings at 6-1. 

The Bolts trailed 72-81 early in the payoff period until Jones, who also had 18 rebounds and 4 assists, went on his offensive tear to give his side a 17-point, 99-82 advantage. 

Jones’ personal run was stopped with less than 4 minutes left when Troy Rosario scored on a driving layup that extended the TNT lead to 19 – its largest of the game. 

Ryan Reyes compensated for the absence of Jayson Castro as he fired 19 points on 6 triples, Don Trollano chalked up 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Rosario added 11 points in the win. 

Castro was missing in action in the first game of the Petron Blaze Saturday Special as he tied the knot with his longtime partner, Lyle Mariano. 

Chris Newsome set a new PBA career-high 32 points to go with 5 assists and 2 steals, but all of that went for naught as Meralco dropped back-to-back games to slip to 3-4. 

New import Jimmie Taylor, who replaced Gani Lawal, was the only other Bolts player in double figures with 13 points, 18 rebounds, and 2 blocks. 

The Scores

TNT 104 – Jones 49, Reyes 19, Trollano 16, Rosario 11, Pogoy 4, Heruela 3, Taha 2, Golla 0, D. Semerad 0, Casino 0, Magat 0.

Meralco 91 – Newsome 32, Taylor 13, Amer 9, Almazan 9, Jackson 7, Salva 6, Hodge 5, Canaleta 5, Espinas 3, Quinto 2, Caram 0, Hugnatan 0, De Ocampo 0, Jamito 0.

Quarters: 24-22, 52-49, 81-68, 104-91.

– Rappler.com