Chris Newsome delivered in the clutch to propel the Meralco Bolts to a nail-biting 109-104 victory over the Magnolia Hotshots in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation in Pampanga on Tuesday, October 20.
Newsome finished the game with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists for the Bolts, who now moved to 2-2 in the team standings.
The Hotshots led by as many as 10 points early in the 4th period after a Jio Jalalon floater.
But the Bolts refused to stay down as Trevis Jackson drilled back-to-back three-pointers late in the quarter to snatch the lead for the Bolts, 91-90.
The Hotshots were able to tie the game off a Paul Lee free throw with 13 seconds remaining before Chris Newsome missed a potential game-winning jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.
In overtime, Newsome scored 8 of his 23 points, including a tough fade-away jumper with 9 seconds left to seal the game for the Bolts. Paul Lee failed to connect on a three-pointer to tie the game.
“We just wanted to come out, play with a lot of energy, play with a lot of heart and try to do anything to get a win today,” said Newsome following his outburst.
Rookie Aaron Black continues his stellar play for the Bolts as he contributed 16 points, while Cliff Hodge and Reynel Hugnatan chipped in 12 and 10 points respectively.
Paul Lee exploded for a season-high 32 points while Mark Barroca added 17 points for the Hotshots, who missed the services of Ian Sangalang and Rome Dela Rosa due to injuries.
The Scores:
Meralco 109 – Newsome 23, Black 16, Hodge 12, Hugnatan 11, Jackson 10, Quinto 8, Almazan 8, Maliksi 8, Jamito 8, Pinto 4, Amer 1.
Magnolia 104 – Lee 32, Barroca 17, Jalalon 13, Banchero 13, Corpuz 12, Melton 6, Reavis 4, Pascual 4, Dioniso 3, Calisaan 0.
Quarters: 19-25, 46-46, 67-73, 94-94, 109-104 (OT)
– Martin Mendoza/Rappler.com
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