Meralco fends off Blackwater for first win in PBA Philippine Cup

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Meralco broke through in the PBA Philippine Cup behind Chris Newsome’s late-game heroics, fending off a furious Blackwater rally to score a 105-96 win on Wednesday, October 15, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Newsome took charge when it mattered most, scoring 10 of his 22 points in the final 8:21 to restore order after the Bossing roared back from a 24-point hole to threaten within 81-84. With the rest of the Bolts stepping up, they rebuilt a 14-point cushion and cruised to their first victory after opening the season with two straight losses.

Chris Newsome leads the Meralco Bolts' charge with a 22-point performance in the PBA Philippine Cup. [PBA Images] — Chris Newsome leads the Meralco Bolts’ charge with a 22-point performance in the PBA Philippine Cup. [PBA Images]

Meralco steadies the ship after near-collapse

“It was a bit of composure,” said Meralco coach Luigi Trillo. “Today we were up big but we managed to win the game.” Trillo praised Newsome, Bong Quinto, Allein Maliksi, and Cliff Hodge for exploiting mismatches and pushing their lead to as much as 65-41 earlier in the game.

Hodge finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Maliksi came off the bench for 13 points, including a buzzer-beating triple to end the third quarter up 84-74. Raymond Almazan added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Aaron Black tallied 11 points, six boards, and two assists.

Barefield shines but Blackwater falls short

Sedrick Barefield made a dazzling season debut with 34 points built on seven three-pointers, but his scoring outburst wasn’t enough to give Blackwater back-to-back wins. He was hampered by foul trouble midway through the third period, limiting his impact down the stretch.

RK Ilagan contributed 22 points and Abu Tratter added 11, but Christian David and Dalph Panopio struggled against Meralco’s defense. David shot 3-of-10 to finish with seven points, while Panopio went 1-of-9 for only two points.

Blackwater also faltered in the second quarter, going 3-of-22 from the field with three turnovers, while Meralco torched the nets at 12-of-16 to turn a slim 29-24 lead into a 61-39 halftime advantage. Ilagan briefly fueled a comeback in the third, scoring 10 points to help trim the gap to 74-79, before Meralco closed it out with composure in the final minutes.