Chris Newsome wanted to close out the Meralco's elims campaign with a win over Ginebra in the PBA Philippine Cup before the the Bolts fly to Dubai for the BCL Asia.
Meralco can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Before leaving for Dubai for the Basketball Champions League Asia, the Bolts made sure they took care of business in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup first.
Not wanting to leave their fate in the other teams' hands, Meralco did everything it could to scrape past Ginebra, 82-73, and officially make their entry into the playoffs Friday, May 30.
“Coming into this game, we really wanted to make sure that our destiny is in our hands. We did not want to leave it up to somebody else. So we wanted to really come out and play playoff atmosphere-type basketball,” said Chris Newsome, whose team ended its elimination round assignment with a third straight win for a 6-5 mark.
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Indeed, it was a nip-and-tuck battle that was decided only in the final minutes.
The Bolts' defense started to bite inside the final 3:58 as they limited the Gin Kings to just two points within that stretch.
After Scottie Thompson’s strong layup against Brandon Bates that tied the count at 71-all, everything just went downhill for Ginebra, which saw its coach, Tim Cone, tossed with 32.5 ticks remaining for two technical fouls. He incurred the first infraction for continuous complaining, the other for entering the court.
Newsome finished with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal, and two blocks for Meralco.
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Chris Banchero wound up with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Cliff Hodge had 11 markers, seven boards and a block.
Bong Quinto and CJ Cansino added 10 points apiece.
“It’s a good place to be in. We get that momentum getting into the playoffs,” Newsome said.
“The only thing is we have to cut that momentum to go overseas and play a different style of basketball with some imports we’re not familiar with just yet.”
Meralco leaves on June 4 or 5 for the BCL Asia slated June 7 to 13.
Meanwhile, Scottie Thompson paced Ginebra with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Jamie Malonzo added 16 but misfired in the homestretch. He also had six rebounds and a steal for the Gin Kings, who now hold a 5-3 card.
Meralco vs. Ginebra scores:
MERALCO 82 – Newsome 15, Banchero 14, Hodge 11, Quinto 10, Cnasino 10, Black 5, Rios 5, Almazan 4, Jose 4, Bates 4.
GINEBRA 73 – Thompson 16, Malonzo 16, Rosario 14, J.Aguilar 12, Abarrientos 12, Holt 3, Cu 0, Gray 0, David 0.
Quarterscores: 17-17, 37-37, 61-56, 82-73.