Tag: Meralco

PBA Finals Game 5 San Miguel vs Meralco

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2024 PBA Philippine Cup Finals schedule (Game 5)

Smart Araneta Coliseum

7:30pm – San Miguel Beermen vs Meralco Bolts

FULL SCHEDULE HERE.

PBA Finals: Meralco, San Miguel brace for war with pivotal Game 5 up

San Miguel Beermen vs Meralco Bolts in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—There has been a popular notion in basketball that when a best-of-seven duel is tied at 2-2, whoever wins Game 5 wins the series.

While that may have proven true for several series in the past, players from Meralco and San Miguel don’t see the same thing going down in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Just ask Chris Newsome and Chris Ross, who will be leading their respective teams in the now-virtual best-of-three series for the All-Filipino trophy. FULL STORY

PBA Finals: With tiebreaker looming, Meralco tries to dig out more points

Meralco Bolts' Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen.

Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Producing the best scoring game of his PBA career with 40 points provided little silver lining for Meralco’s Chris Newsome after San Miguel Beer evened things up at 2-2 in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

“It’s great that I scored 40, but the win is definitely more important,” Newsome said after the Game 4 defeat on Wednesday night.

Newsome and the Bolts have another crack at getting a third win, and closer to their first-ever PBA title, in Friday’s pivotal fifth game of the series at Smart Araneta Coliseum. FULL STORY

PBA: Terrence Romeo determined to help San Miguel despite injury

San Miguel Beermen guard Terrence Romeo suits up in PBA Finals Game 4.

San Miguel Beermen guard Terrence Romeo suits up in PBA Finals Game 4. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel Beer coach Jorge Gallent commended Terrence Romeo for playing through the pain in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

In the Beermen’s 111-101 conquest of Meralco, Romeo played significant minutes despite nursing an aching calf.

Gallent said that Romeo insisted on playing for the Beermen in hopes of avoiding a 3-1 rut. FULL STORY

PBA: Chris Newsome’s career-best down the drain with Game 4 loss

Meralco Bolts' Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen.

Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—It may have been a career night for Chris Newsome, but that was the last thing on his mind after Meralco Bolts’ ‘ Game 4 loss to San Miguel in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Newsome scored a career best 40 points  only for the Bolts to lose to the Beermen and have the series pushed back to square one at 2-2.

“They made their adjustments. That’s what a playoff series is all about. They definitely came with a lot more energy today and you certainly saw it,” said Newsome. FULL STORY

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Meralco, San Miguel brace for war ahead of Game 5

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San Miguel Beermen vs Meralco Bolts in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

SCHEDULE: PBA Finals San Miguel vs Meralco

MANILA, Philippines—There has been a popular notion in basketball that when a best-of-seven duel is tied at 2-2, whoever wins Game 5 wins the series.

While that may have proven true for several series in the past, players from Meralco and San Miguel don’t see the same thing going down in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Just ask Chris Newsome and Chris Ross, who will be leading their respective teams in the now-virtual best-of-three series for the All-Filipino trophy.

“I’ve seen a lot of crazy things in series,” said Newsome in jest after their 111-101 loss to the Beermen in Game 4 of the Finals at Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.

READ: PBA Finals: San Miguel gets back at Meralco to tie series at 2-2

“You can never count one team out because the goal is to win two now. [It] doesn’t matter how you win two. You can win the first one, lose the second and win the third or lose the first and win two straight.”

The all-important Finals Game 5 is on Friday.

Newsome and the Bolts could’ve avoided the 2-2 deadlock, but the Beermen found their footing just in time to tie their duel again.

Despite Newsome’s career-best 40 points on a waxing-hot 66 percent shooting clip, Meralco wasn’t able to tame the mammoth of a man in June Mar Fajardo.

Take the ‘Beeracle’

San Miguel Beermen center June Mar Fajardo steers his team in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against Meralco Bolts.

San Miguel Beermen center June Mar Fajardo steers his team in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against Meralco Bolts. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Fajardo, who minutes before the game was awarded as the Best Player of the Conference, proved that he deserved the plum by dropping 28 points and 13 rebounds, pushing San Miguel to knot the series at two games a piece.

Fajardo is no stranger to pressure in big moments. He was, after all, an important part of PBA history with the “Beeracle,” a moment Newsome acknowledged with the series reaching a crescendo after Game 4.

“I always refer back to the Beeracle where they had to win four straight so it’s definitely not impossible to pull it off if you don’t win that one (Game 5) but it really comes down to who plays great basketball, who hits shots and who’s more focused,” said the Gilas guard.

Moments after Newsome’s exit from the Big Dome, Chris Ross emerged out of San Miguel’s dugout.

READ: PBA Finals: Shackled June Mar Fajardo key to Meralco success

His squad took an important win, sure, but Ross wasn’t displaying much of a happy face.

Like Newsome, he too doesn’t believe that whoever wins the fifth game wins the best-of-seven clash.

“It’s first to four however you can get there, however you get it. We knew this was going to be a long series,” said a focused Ross.

“We know they’re a good team and we’re a good team as well. They’re fighting for their first chip and we’re fighting to keep the trophy,” he added.

Ross didn’t have much of an impact offensively with six points, only one out of his six tries from the field.

It is, however, in the intangibles where Ross affected the game positively for the Beermen. He dropped six assists to his teammates in the statement win, opening up opportunities when needed for San Miguel. He also snagged four steals, stunning the Meralco front on offense.

But Ross means business in the next games and he doesn’t care how long the Beermen takes to get there, as long as his squad wins their second straight PBA title.

“I really don’t care how long it goes, as long as we win. We’re ready for whatever.”

PBA Finals: With tiebreaker looming, Meralco tries to dig out more points

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Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Producing the best scoring game of his PBA career with 40 points provided little silver lining for Meralco’s Chris Newsome after San Miguel Beer evened things up at 2-2 in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

“It’s great that I scored 40, but the win is definitely more important,” Newsome said after the Game 4 defeat on Wednesday night.

Newsome and the Bolts have another crack at getting a third win, and closer to their first-ever PBA title, in Friday’s pivotal fifth game of the series at Smart Araneta Coliseum. But not only will the Bolts face the pressure of a tied series, they will enter the 7:30 p.m. contest in urgent need of a plan to figure out how to counter the adjustments San Miguel made in getting a 111-101 win two nights earlier.

The scoreline already offers a clue to how the Beermen succeeded in solving the Bolts defensive schemes. For the first time in the series, a team won by scoring at least 100 points.

A grindout, defensive affair has often favored the Bolts throughout their playoff run, and that was the reason Meralco won two of the first three games of the Finals.

But the Beermen finally showed their offensive juggernaut that they have been known for throughout the two-conference season.

June Mar Fajardo’s 28 points epitomized why there are now cracks in the vaunted Meralco defense that centered on making life miserable for the newly crowned Best Player of the Conference, while CJ Perez and Marcio Lassiter continued their consistent form in the series.

Balanced offense is key

And then the minutes provided by Vic Manuel and Terrence Romeo, who both played for the first time in the Finals, also proved vital.

“[San Miguel scoring 111 points] is definitely more than what we’re used to giving up,” Newsome said. “We have to go back and play Meralco basketball which is defensive-minded and I think we lost a bit of that [in Game 4].”Balanced offense will also be key for the Bolts as Newsome’s scoring output overshadowed a lack of support from some of the team’s key sources for baskets.

Allein Maliksi and Bong Quinto could only combine for 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting in Game 4. Both had scoring averages of at least 10 in the first three games.

Beermen coach Jorge Gallent wouldn’t mind making that a trend.

“As long as the rest don’t score, we’re fine,” said Gallent, who will also be wary of other Meralco players picking up the slack like Cliff Hodge.

Aside from being a pest on defense, Hodge has put up 14.8 points a game in the Finals, third on the team behind Newsome and guard Chris Banchero (16.3).

San Miguel gets back at Meralco to tie series at 2-2

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San Miguel Beermen center June Mar Fajardo steers his team in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against Meralco Bolts. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

SCHEDULE: PBA Finals San Miguel vs Meralco

MANILA, Philippines–San Miguel Beer put the PBA Philippine Cup Finals back on level terms with a collective effort that defeated Meralco, 111-101, Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

June Mar Fajardo had 28 points and 13 rebounds on the night he was hailed the Best Player of the Conference, but there were many players who stepped up in putting the series at two games apiece.

“Credit to Meralco, not only for the way it’s defending me, but the whole team,” Fajardo said.

CJ Perez produced 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Marcio Lassiter knocked down 18 points on four threes, but among the vital reasons for San Miguel’s triumph was the decision to insert Terrence Romeo and Vic Manuel.

San Miguel Beermen guard Terrence Romeo suits up in PBA Finals Game 4.

San Miguel Beermen guard Terrence Romeo suits up in PBA Finals Game 4. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Manuel scored eight points in seven minutes while Romeo had seven points. Both players saw action for the first time in the PBA Finals.

Game 5 is set Friday at the same venue, with the winner gaining a 3-2 lead and closer to ending Season 48 with a championship.

The Beermen won despite allowing Bolts leader Chris Newsome to score a career-high 40 points.

Chris Banchero, Cliff Hodge and Brandon Bates also stepped up, but the lack of supporting cast hounded Meralco, which spent the Independence Day clash trying to catch up after trailing 23-9 at the start.

Allein Maliksi, Bong Quinto and Raymond Almazan struggled from the field.

Meralco’s closest gap was two during the third, but San Miguel had every answer to the Bolts’ resistance.

The scores:

SAN MIGUEL 111—Fajardo 28, Perez 22, Lassiter 18, Tautuaa 9, Trollano 8, Manuel 8, Romeo 7, Ross 6, Cruz 5, Brondial 0, Teng 0.

MERALCO 101—Newsome 40, Banchero 21, Hodge 17, Maliksi 9, Quinto 6, Bates 4, Almazan 2, Rios 2, Caram 0, Torres 0.

Quarters: 29-22, 51-40, 82-74, 111-101.

Meralco countering San Miguel depth with defense

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Meralco center Raymond Almazan has been holding it down for the Bolts in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Meralco may be leading San Miguel Beer in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals series through three games, but the Bolts had to go through the wringer just to grab a 2-1 edge.

What makes the Beermen a tough nut to crack is their depth led by seven-time MVP June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez.

“In all honesty, it’s hard because you’re going to stop June Mar (Fajardo) then Mo (Tautuaa) will have a good game. Then, there’s Marcio (Lassiter) outside, CJ (Perez) as a slasher. Then, they also have Don (Trollano) and Jericho (Cruz),” said Meralco center Raymond Almazan in Filipino after their 93-89 win in Game 3 on Sunday.

READ: Cliff Hodge: Winning rebound battle key for Meralco in PBA Finals

“We really have to pick our poison but I guess our defense will be the thing that’ll help us win in this series.”

Despite San Miguel’s firepower, Meralco has somehow found a way to gain the upper hand thanks to a balanced effort on both ends.

In Game 3, the Bolts had two players notching double-doubles with Almazan posting 17 points and 13 rebounds and Cliff Hodge collecting 10 points and 13 rebounds while Chris Newsome provided the heroics, scoring 26 points, including the game’s final five points.

Meralco’s defense–with Almazan as one of its anchors–has been stellar as well, holding a star-studded San Miguel crew to an average of 90 points in the first three games.

READ: PBA Finals: Rest vital for SMB heading into Game 4, says CJ Perez

Even Fajardo has had a hard time against the Bolts’ frontcourt of Almazan, Brandon Bates and Hodge.

Though, it’s not been easy for Almazan as well.

“It’s really hard. I think nobody can guard June Mar for 40 minutes or a whole game. Coach told us that if we can play hard defense for forty minutes or so to tire out June Mar, that’ll be our job.”

“That’s really what we have to do to this series to have a better chance of winning.”

‘Still underdogs’ Meralco Bolts keeping guards up

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Meralco Bolts during Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Holding a 2-1 series edge over San Miguel Beer doesn’t change the fact that Meralco is still the underdog in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Bolts rookie Brandon Bates made it clear: No lead is safe, especially against the mighty Beermen.

“We’re not excited. Even though we’re up 2-1, Ginebra was up 3-2 against us, I remember, and look what happened there. At any given moment, it could be taken away,” said Bates after Meralco pulled off a 93-89 Houdini act in Game 3 on Sunday.

READ: PBA Finals: Meralco countering San Miguel depth with defense

“We’re not taking this for granted. We’re not satisfied. Until we get the fourth win, it’s all nothing.”

Bates knows that the worst thing Meralco could do at this point is to let its guard down.

Brandon Bates Meralco Bolts PBA Philippine Cup Finals

Meralco Bolts rookie Brandon Bates during Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“Our coaching staff is big on us not being complacent and not having some swagger coming into the games and things like that. We’re still the underdogs,” said Bates, who scored two points and grabbed five rebounds but had a hand in forcing June Mar Fajardo to turn the ball over seven times.

READ: PBA Finals: Brandon Bates not letting the spotlight get to him

“Regardless of whether we’re up 2-1, we’re still the underdogs so we have to have that chip on that shoulder. We have to understand that.”

Bates and the Bolts go for a commanding 3-1 advantage on Wednesday.

Meralco hopes to hold on to 2-1 lead this time around

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Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome shoots during Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against the San Miguel Beermen.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Meralco is once again in familiar territory after preserving its lead in the end this time to take a 2-1 advantage over San Miguel Beer in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

What the Bolts don’t want to repeat after Sunday’s 93-89 victory, thanks to the clutch plays of Chris Newsome at Smart Araneta Coliseum, is for another golden opportunity to slip away.

“We’re definitely been here before,” Newsome after his three with 34.1 seconds left in the fourth brought Meralco to the lead. “But the results didn’t pan out the way we wanted to.”

The Bolts learned from the mistakes of their collapse in Game 2, when a four-point lead with 26 seconds left disappeared before ending up losing what looked like a sure win.

Now Meralco hopes to experience something it has never experienced before in a championship series—a commanding 3-1 lead which the Bolts can pull off on Wednesday at the same venue.

It’s the third time that Meralco took two of the first three games of the Finals, first in the 2016 Governors’ Cup and in the 2022 edition of the same conference, both against crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra.

And on both occasions, Meralco couldn’t sustain its hold on the driver seat, with Ginebra winning three straight in each of those title meetings.

‘Team of the decade’

Newsome, Cliff Hodge and current assistant coach Reynel Hugnatan have witnessed those past debacles. All of them are hoping to see the current makeup of the Bolts roster to author a different outcome, regardless of what happens moving forward.

“For those guys who were with us during those 2-1 leads and those lapses, those are actually the most vocal in our locker room,” said Newsome. “Those are the guys that have been through it. We had those heartbreaks, and we’re passing that knowledge now, and the things that we thought we could have done better during our 2-1 leads to capitalize on the situation and turn it into a 3-1 lead.

“I mean, this is a series, we’re going up against San Miguel who’s the best team of the decade and they’re playoff ready. They’ve been through a lot of series so it’s gonna be tough to go up 3-1 against them, especially after this win by us. They’re gonna be hungry.

“Again, it’s up to our veterans to be vocal about it. But when it’s all said and done, it’s not about what you’re saying, it’s what you do. We can say anything about doing this and doing that but what matters is stepping onto that court and getting that job done,” he added.

Newsome posted 26 points, leading a starting crew that all scored in double-figures, including Raymond Almazan, who had 15 points before fouling out after laying a dud due to foul trouble in Game 2. INQ

Meralco escapes San Miguel for 2-1 series edge

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Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome shoots during Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against the San Miguel Beermen.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Meralco played splendid basketball on both ends on Sunday night for a gutsy 93-89 Game 3 victory over San Miguel and a 2-1 lead in the PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven championship series.

The Bolts saw all of their starters finish in double-digit scores while clamping down on the Beermen’s top guns in yet another tightly-contested duel at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

“Looking at the stats, 15 lead changes, 16 times tied. You could just see how close these games are. I thought we were OK with our execution [tonight],” said coach Luigi Trillo, whose charges aptly rebounded after narrowly losing to the defending champions, 95-94, in the previous encounter last Friday night.

READ: PBA Finals: Meralco quickly moves on from Game 2 heartbreak

Chris Newsome delivered 26 points, including an open corner triple and two charities late in the game that proved to be the cushion that Meralco needed to prevail.

Raymond Almazan had 17 points–his finest this series–and had 13 rebounds. Bong Quinto chipped in 16 more into the scoring effort while Chris Banchero and Cliff Hodge pumped in 10 each.

Mo Tautuaa had 19 points to lead all of the Beermen, while CJ Perez was limited to just 18 points after top-scoring with 34 in the previous meeting.

READ: PBA Finals: San Miguel survives Meralco to tie series

Game 2 hero Marcio Lassiter and reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo added 12 points each, while Don Trollano and Jeron Teng also finished in twin-digit scores.

“We won, but we’re not satisfied with our last three, four minutes,” said Trillo, who pointed out how much tidying up Meralco has to do to sustain their run in this showdown for the prestigious Jun Bernardino trophy.

Meralco will try to annex a second-straight win and put its fancied foe in a bind in Game 4 set this Wednesday, again at the Big Dome.

The Scores:

MERALCO 93 – Newsome 26, Almazan 17, Quinto 16, banchero 10, Hodge 10, Maliksi 8, Torres 2, Pascual 2, Bates 2, Rios 0, Caram 0

SAN MIGUEL 89 – Tuatuaa 19, Perez 18, Lassiter 12, Fajardo 12, Trollano 11, Teng 10, Cruz 7, Ross 0, Brondial 0, Enciso 0

Quarterscores: 28-24, 48-46, 71-70, 93-89

Winning rebound battle key for Meralco in PBA Finals

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Meralco Bolts forward Cliff Hodge during Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against the San Miguel Beermen.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Meralco has been doing almost everything right in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals so far.

The Bolts on Sunday regained the upper hand in their best-of-seven series with the San Miguel Beermen after a pulsating win in Game 3 and while it was Chris Newsome’s late 3-pointer that propelled them to victory, winning the rebounding battle was another reason why they’re halfway there to a breakthrough championship.

“It’s definitely a focus of interest for us. We know that if we can dominate the rebounding, we’ll have a great shot at winning the game,” explained Hodge after Meralco’s 93-89 squeaker over San Miguel.

READ: PBA Finals: Chris Newsome, Meralco deliver own dagger in Game 3

“All the bigs have to guard June Mar (Fajardo) and try to slow him down. I mean he’s the best, the GOAT of the PBA and it’s a hard job for them to slow him down and they gotta box him out so I’m just trying to get as many rebounds as I can.”

Hodge came up big for the Bolts anew, notching a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, six of which on the offensive end.

Raymond Almazan also held it down for Meralco in the shaded area, finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute.

READ: PBA Finals: Rest vital for SMB heading into Game 4, says CJ Perez

With Hodge and Almazan making their presence felt, the Bolts out-rebounded the Beermen, 57-50, which had been the case for the first three games of the finals.

Meralco had 22 offensive rebounds overall that led to 22 second-chance points.

Hodge, though, is fully aware that the battle is still far from over.

“We’ll definitely watch the viewing. I honestly don’t think we played that great of a game. [We] had a lot of mistakes defensively.”

“[We’ll] just clean up our game plan and clean up all our mistakes and focus on the next game. That’s about it.”

PBA Finals Game 3 San Miguel vs Meralco

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2024 PBA Philippine Cup Finals schedule (Game 3)

Smart Araneta Coliseum

6:15 p.m. – San Miguel Beermen vs Meralco Bolts

FULL SCHEDULE HERE.

San Miguel Beermen swingman Marcio Lassiter celebrates with his teammates late in Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against the Meralco Bolts.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Frosty for most of Friday night, San Miguel Beer marksman Marcio Lassiter came through in the final moments of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals, bailing the much-fancied Beermen out from what would have been a 0-2 hole against hard-fighting Meralco.

Despite a 1-for-7 shooting going into that final play, Lassiter hit a step-back triple from the left wing with 13.2 seconds remaining to give the Beermen the lead. It turned out to be the basket the defending champions needed to ultimately level the best-of-seven championship series to a game apiece.

Chris Newsome CJ Perez San Miguel Beermen Meralco Bolts PBA Finals

San Miguel Beer’s CJ Perez tries to score against Meralco’s Chris Newsome in Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

As much as Cliff Hodge described the heartbreaking loss Meralco absorbed in Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup as “just one game,” there’s also a reason for the Bolts to pity themselves for the missed chance of getting another win over San Miguel Beer.

“We should have won that. We had them on the ropes,” Hodge said before acknowledging the way the Beermen were able to pull off an escape act, 95-94, at Smart Araneta Coliseum.