MANILA, Philippines – Meralco saw its chances fade as soon as Chris Newsome went down for the second time in the night.
Pouncing on the Bolts star’s injury, the TNT Tropang Giga pulled off a second-half storm to thump Meralco, 93-73, and go up 2-0 in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday, August 22.
Newsome initially twisted his left ankle and left knee in the first quarter, but returned to the game without much trace of pain.
However, the Gilas Pilipinas standout rolled the same ankle in the third quarter, following another awkward landing on his teammate’s foot.
From there, Meralco had no answers to TNT’s outburst, conceding a 10-0 run after Newsome went down.
TNT continued to step on the gas as it stretched the lead to 17 points in the fourth quarter before putting on the finishing touches through a 16-4 blast.
The Tropang Giga outscored the Bolts, 60-32 in the second half to turn what looked like a tight matchup into a blowout.
TNT head coach Chot Reyes credited their defense for Meralco’s second-half struggles.
“It was our defense because we’re not shooting the ball particularly well. Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) wasn’t hitting his shots. Our outside gunners were not really connecting. But we’re keeping them, we’re stopping them from scoring as well,” said Reyes.
“That was the key. Because our stops gave us opportunities to run out and score in transition,” he added.
Hollis-Jefferson led TNT anew with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.
Rey Nambatac added 16 points, while Poy Erram, who returned this conference after a year of recovery from a torn MCL, put up 15 markers and 6 boards to help TNT stay undefeated after two games.
Newsome’s injury cut short a strong showing, leaving the game with 15 points fueled by three triples. He was assisted to the locker room with a heavily iced leg before the final buzzer even sounded.
Chris Banchero carried the cudgels for Meralco with 17 points and 4 assists on a night when resident import Allen Durham had a cold performance, contributing only 8 points and 10 rebounds.
Meralco dropped to 1-1 after eking out a season-opening win against the Magnolia Hotshots.
TNT 93 – Hollis-Jefferson 25, Namabatac 16, Erram 15, Oftana 14, Khobuntin 10, Castro 5, Aurin 4, Heruela 2, Payawal 2, Vosotros 0, Exciminiano 0.
Meralco 73 – Banchero 18, Newsome 15, Durham 8, Hodge 8, Quinto 6, Mendoza 5, Bates 4, Pasaol 3, Black 2, Rios 2, Cansino 2, Torres 0.
Quarters: 21-23, 39-41, 70-57, 93-73.
– Rappler.com
