PBA: Chris Newsome, Meralco brace for uphill battle vs San Miguel in Philippine Cup QF

Chris Newsome and the Meralco Bolts are back where it all began — facing San Miguel in the playoffs — but this time, the odds are stacked against them.

The defending Philippine Cup champions open their quarterfinal series against the top seeded Beermen on Friday, June 20, needing to win twice to keep their title defense alive.

The match starts at 5 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The game will also be shown on the One Sports YouTube page.

[RELATED STORY: PBA quarterfinals: San Miguel seeks payback vs Meralco in Philippine Cup Finals rematch] 

San Miguel holds the twice-to-beat advantage in this rematch of last season’s Finals, a series Meralco won in six games to finally capture its long-awaited first PBA crown.

But the landscape has changed. The Beermen, behind Best Player of the Conference frontrunner June Mar Fajardo and CJay Perez, are determined to reclaim the throne — and they already scored a statement win over the Bolts earlier this conference during the league’s 50th anniversary celebration.

[ALSO READ: San Miguel star June Mar Fajardo back in front of BPC race for PBA Philippine Cup]

Still, Meralco isn’t short on belief.

Newsome, Bong Quinto, and Cliff Hodge form the team’s emotional and tactical core, and they’ll have to dig deep after returning from an international campaign at the Basketball Champions League Asia in Dubai.

The Bolts reached the quarterfinals before falling to Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos.

With backs against the wall, the Bolts know what’s at stake — win or go home. Against a hungry San Miguel squad, Meralco is out to prove that last year’s championship was no fluke.

[ALSO READ: Meralco's BCL Asia campaign ends as it bows to Broncos in quarters]

(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)

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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]