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.

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