ANTIPOLO CITY, Philippines – Anjo Caram went on a scoring outburst and powered Meralco to a 103-89 victory over NorthPort in the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center on Sunday, November 10. 

Caram, the smallest on the court standing at 5-foot-7, stood the tallest by firing 30 points off the bench on an ultra-efficient 11-of-15 shooting as the Bolts improved to 8-2 to nail the twice-to-beat quarterfinal bonus. 

The former San Beda standout scattered 16 points in the final quarter, capping off his stellar performance with a three-pointer that gave his side a comfortable 101-85 cushion with less than two minutes remaining. 

Caram shot 4-of-6 from long distance and also had 4 steals for Meralco, which improved to No. 2 in the team standings and could leapfrog to the top spot should league-leading NLEX lose to Magnolia in their match later. 

Import Allen Durham backstopped Caram with 26 points and 19 rebounds, while Chris Newsome delivered 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. 

Raymond Almazan added 8 points and 7 rebounds in the Bolts’ fifth straight win as John Pinto contributed 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. 

Import Michael Qualls put up 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Batang Pier, who lost their second straight and dropped to a 3-6 card, while Christian Standhardinger had 20 points and 9 rebounds.

Sean Anthony added 19 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals in the loss. 

The Scores 

Meralco 103 – Caram 30, Durham 26, Newsome 17, Pinto 8, Almazan 8, Maliksi 6, Faundo 4, Amer 2, Hugnatan 2, Jackson 0, Jose 0, Hodge 0, Quinto 0, jamito 0. 

NorthPort 89 – Qualls 27, Standhardinger 20, Anthony 19, Mercado 9, Lanete 8, Taha 3, Ferrer 3, Elorde 0, Cruz 0, King 0, Escoto 0. 

Quarters: 20-23, 50-45, 72-69, 103-89

–Rappler.com