Meralco Bolts started their PBA Philippine Cup title defense with a statement victory, overcoming a massive 20-point deficit to pull off a thrilling 91-89 win over Converge FiberXers Friday night, April 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

It was Chris Newsome who shone brightest in the clutch, draining a game-tying three-pointer with 59 seconds left before sinking a cold-blooded fadeaway jumper with just 0.1 seconds remaining to complete the dramatic turnaround.

The Bolts, trailing most of the way and still down by six with under two minutes to go, closed the game on an 8-0 run sparked by Bong Quinto’s triple, stunning a Converge squad that held the lead for nearly the entire game.

Newsome capped the night with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Quinto added 14 points and six boards, while Raymond Almazan contributed a solid double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Norman Black Jr. and Toto Jose also chipped in with 10 points apiece in a balanced effort for the Bolts, who managed the win despite missing Allein Maliksi due to injury.

Meanwhile, Brandon Bates returned to action from injury, logging seven minutes on the floor.

For Converge, it was a painful loss after dominating for 46 minutes. Justin Arana poured in 23 points, Justine Baltazar added 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Alec Stockton and Schonny Winston added 17 and 13, respectively.

But the FiberXers failed to score in the final two minutes, allowing Meralco to snatch the win and spoil their bid for a strong start to the conference.

Despite the early setback, Converge has shown offensive potential, but their inability to close out the game exposed lingering issues in late-game execution.

With this win, Meralco sent a clear message: the defending champs won’t go down without a fight—especially when Chris Newsome is in takeover mode.