Basketball
Meralco cruises past Converge, marks 300th franchise win in PBA
ANTIPOLO — Meralco began its PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup in dominant fashion by sending the injury-riddled Converge skidding through a 109-88 come-from-behind victory at the Ynares Center here, Wednesday night.
The Bolts trailed by as many as 10 early in the second chapter but quickly turned things around in their favor, and then broke away for good in the third en route to a successful start to the tilt–a result that proved historic as well.
According to league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III, it was their 300th win in franchise history, making the MVP Group-owned ball club the sixth among active franchises with at least that many, and 14th overall in league history.
(C) PBA Images
“They did well in the first quarter. I think they made six out of nine threes; they got into a big lead. Obviously, it’s their third game, so may amuyan na sila sa court, kami it’s our first game,” reflected head coach Luigi Trillo.
“During the first games, it’s not written in stone … but I think we did better, defended better, moved the ball better. And then in that fourth quarter, when they threw that zone, we were patient enough to move the ball,” he added.
Marvin Jones made a solid first impression in his PBA debut as he led Meralco with a game-high 29 points, alongside eight rebounds and three assists.
CJ Cansino went near-perfect from the floor with an 8-for-9 clip–including 2-of-2 from the four-point line–and finished with 23 points and eight assists.
Chris Newsome finished with 19 points alongside two rebounds and five assists as the trio was crucial in the fourth-quarter closeout to seal the W.
‘New’ himself put them back up by double digits for good by knocking down a three-pointer off a Jones find to make it an 86-74 lead with 8:08 to go.
Then came Jones and Cansino, who hit both of his shots from 27 feet away in a mini scoring run that pushed the spread to 97-79 with 6:21 to spare.
“Our import, Marvin Jones, played well. CJ was on fire also; New played well. Just overall, everybody that got fielded was able to contribute,” lauded Trillo as 10 of the 12 players utilized scored at least two points in the win.
The Bolts will have over a week of rest and prep time before facing Rain or Shine on Friday, March 27, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
(C) PBA Images
Alec Stockton led Converge with 18 points in the loss that dropped them to 1-2 in the standings. Justin Arana had 16 and 11, plus four assists to back him up.
Import Kylor Kelley made 13 points and nine rebounds with five blocks. Justine Baltazar had a double-double of his own with 12 and 15, with MJ Garcia also adding 12 markers as five players finished in twin digits for Coach Delta Pineda.
Still, it wasn’t enough as they badly missed the services of Jiuan Gomez de Liano, who’s out due to a slight knee injury he sustained versus Terrafirma.
Needless to say, it’s a tough blow for a team that’s yet to play with two-time BPC Calvin Abueva, who’s been out due to minor injuries as well.
The FiberXers will have themselves another litmus test as they take on San Miguel Beer next Wednesday, March 25, still at the Ynares Center here.
The Scores:
Meralco 109 – Jones 29, Cansino 23, Newsome 19, Mocon 9, Bates 8, Banchero 6, Black 5, Quinto 5, Brickman 3, Hodge 2, Magbuhos 0, Almazan 0.
Converge 88 – Stockton 18, Arana 16, Kelley 13, Baltazar 12, Garcia 12, Policarpio 7, Williams 5, Concepcion 3, Clementte 2, Muyang 0.
Quarterscores: 22-27, 48-45, 79-65, 109-88.
The post Meralco cruises past Converge, marks 300th franchise win in PBA appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
NLEX took the solo lead in Group A following a convincing 110-96 victory over the erstwhile perfect San Miguel to extend its unbeaten run to four in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
In a game where they showed a bit of everything, the Road Warriors went on a tear in the second chapter, inflated the lead to its biggest at 25 in the third, and then displayed solid poise in the defining chapter to put the Beermen away.
Robert Bolick connected on a four, then came Robbie Herndon with a triple not long after as that 7-0 spurt pushed their lead back to 99-84 with 6:23 to go, and that proved to be enough to restore order after their foes cut the gap to eight.
DeQuan Jones took over afterward to lead the strong closeout as they went on to become the lone team without a loss thus far as the Beermen fell to 3-1.
In what’s becoming a trend since Coach Jimmy Alapag arrived, NLEX leaned on another balanced attack that saw a five finish in double figures
Jones himself led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Deschon Winston finished with 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists as he triggered the 14-0 run in the second chapter for a 44-27 lead that set the tone for the rout.
Tony Semerad had 15 points as his long bombs helped put together the solid finish. Bolick came just short of a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists while Herndon added 13 markers to lead the bench mob.
The post NLEX hands San Miguel first loss, claims solo PBA Group A lead appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Joseph Yeo and Chris Tiu rekindled their legendary partnership as Xavier School edged the James Yap-led Hua Siong College-Iloilo, 75-72, in Game 1 of the 40 Years Division finals of the Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. on Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Though no longer as quick or explosive as they were in their prime, the Powersox-AcroCity-backed Xavier stars remained deadly from beyond the arc, delivering clutch baskets down the stretch to topple the defending champions in the opener of their best-of-three title series before a sizable crowd.
The Golden Stallions now stand one win away from the championship and a measure of revenge after falling to Hua Siong in last year’s finals. They can seal the title with another victory on Monday.
Yeo turned back the clock with a game-high 30 points, highlighted by four three-pointers, to outduel fellow PBA great James Yap. He scored Xavier’s final seven points, including a crucial triple that stretched the lead to 71-66 late in the contest.
Yap answered with 18 points, knocking down two booming three-pointers, but his efforts were not enough as the Lamtex Pipes-backed Hua Siong absorbed its first loss after sweeping all eight elimination-round games. Hua Siong had also cruised past GT Radial-Grace Christian College, 108-74, in the semifinals.
Tiu also played a key role in the victory, finishing with 17 points while sinking two of Xavier’s 13 three-pointers. Hua Siong, meanwhile, connected on nine triples.
In the battle for third place, Grace Christian College rolled past SCAG-St. Stephen’s, 60-40, behind Allan Anson Tan’s 20-point performance to finish third in the nine-team tournament.
With Yap struggling to find his rhythm late, Ken Bono tried to keep Hua Siong within striking distance, but Xavier would not be denied.
The league is backed by Smart Sports, Tanduay Athletics, Genius Hardware, Ultraforce Tires, Cellboy, PGFlex Linoleum, Boysen, Lamtex Pipes, Jiang Nan, Hangry Pares, Powerhouse Tools, L.F. Fireworks, BYD Valenzuela, BAIC, Jetour, Yong Kee Roasting House, 1118 Autospa, and TCL.
The post Xavier moves one win away from Fil-Chi crown behind Joseph Yeo, Chris Tiu appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Ramon Cao asserted himself in the endgame to help Macau complete a 132-126 comeback win over Titan Ultra to break through in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The reliable big man finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds as he basically took it upon himself to bring the Giant Risers home after seeing themselves staring at a 120-119 deficit with 1:52 remaining.
He scored seven straight to give themselves the 126-120 lead with 31.1 seconds left, which were enough to put them ahead permanently while the opposition could only try to answer back but to no avail
De’Vondre Perry helped him out to keep their foes at bay before Cao applied the final blow with a cleanup from point-blank as the former Bay Area Dragons forward produced 11 of Macau’s last 13 points of the bout.
With this, the guest team improved to 1-4 while sending Titan crashing back to earth after beating TNT previously.
The post PBA: Ramon Cao powers Macau’s stunning comeback to first win at Titan’s expense appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
-
News5 months agoCamilla Lamina shows calm leadership even off the bench
-
DLSU5 months agoShan Nunag shows composure beyond year in La Salle debut
-
Football5 months ago
2026 Uganda Cup: The confirmed fixtures, venues & kick off times at round of 32
-
Foreign Pros5 months ago
‘Eric Chelle must pay compensation to quit Super Eagles post’
-
Football5 months ago
Divine Mukasa plays full time as Leicester City bows out of FA Cup to Southampton
-
Cricket News5 months agoT20 World Cup 2026: 'We've got to stay positive' – Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott remains hopeful of reaching Super 8 despite back-to-back losses
-
Others6 months ago
Sarah Babirye Kityo: The majestic return to 12th Parliament, to front sports talent development
-
CAF6 months agoAFCON 2025: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and Why African Football Is at a Crossroads