SMART CLARK GIGA CITY - It's only fitting for Meralco to put its fate on the hands of its best player with the game on the line.
Chris Newsome again delivered in the clutch, hitting a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer as the Bolts pull off a thrilling 95-93 win over hard-fighting Terrafirma Sunday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation gym (powered by Smart 5G).
With the score tied at 93 with seven seconds left, Newsome received the ball from Baser Amer from top of the key and then made his move against CJ Perez, driving strong to the hoop before popping up for that dagger jumper that broke the hearts of the Dyip.
Newsome's endgame heroic denied the also-ran Dyip from pulling off a major upset and kept the Bolts in contention of clinching a Top 4 berth in the playoffs.
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Meralco hiked its record to 6-4, barely 24 hours after absorbing a 79-92 loss to TnT Tropang Giga.
Coach Norman Black said there was no doubt who was going to take the final shot for Meralco.
"I just put the ball in the hands of Newsome. He is our best player this conference. I just put the ball in his hands and gave him a chance to make a play. Fortunately, he was able to make that shot in the baseline to win the game for us," said the champion coach.
Raymond Almazan finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Bolts, who also got 14 points, eight rebounds, and four assists from sophomore guard Bong Quinto.
Newsome added 12 markers, while making up for an earlier shot block on him by Perez by delivering the winning basket for the team.
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Meralco appeared ready to coast along as it led, 45-25, in the second period against a Terrafirma side which went to the game bearing the news of having been eliminated in the race for a quarterfinals slot following Rain or Shine's 82-71 win over Blackwater in the first game of the day's featured quadruple header.
But the Dyip came roaring back in the second half behind the guns of Juami Tiongson and Perez, both of who nailed a three-pointer each to tie the game at 93-all inside the final 56 seconds.
Tiongson, who led Terrafirma with 21 points, even had the chance to give the Dyip the lead but missed on a jumper in the team's final play that set up Newsome for his game-winning basket.
The Dyip absorbed their eighth loss in nine outings, but nonetheless earned the respect of Black.
"Big time respect to the Columbian team with the way they played today. I know they've been struggling this conference, but they didn't give up," said the Meralco coach.
"They made things really difficult for us down the stretch. You have respect for that because they can easily give up in the game, but they did not. They wanted to win," added Black. "That's what the PBA is all about, and I hope all teams play like that in the future, including us for that matter."
Tiongson finished 4-of-6 from three-point range, while Perez also had 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in yet another losing cause. (RG)
The scores:
Meralco (95) -- Almazan 15, Quinto 14, Newsome 12, Black 11, Maliksi 11, Faundo 10, Hodge 8, Amer 8, Jamito 6, Salva 0, Pinto 0.
Terrafirma (93) -- Perez 21, Tiongson 21, Cahilig 9, Celda 7, Camson 7, Adams 6, Khobuntin 6, Calvo 5, Balagasay 4, Ramos 3, Faundo 2, Agovida 2, Gabayni 0, McCarthy 0.
Quarterscores: 29-17; 51-36; 76-66; 95-93.
