For the second straight game, surging Meralco cruised to a convincing victory, this time at the expense of Phoenix, 111-94, to continue its ascent in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday night.
The trio of Allen Durham, Baser Amer and Chris Newsome backstopped Meralco’s charge with splendid performances.
Durham had his usual double-double with a team-high 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Amer sank four triples on his way to 26 points.
Not to be outshone, Newsome produced a triple-double of 13 points, 12 boards and 11 dimes.
“We stayed in character and was able to have a good offensive and defensive game at the same time,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “I’m proud of how the guys came out”
Locked and loaded, the Bolts had their A-game from the on-set and coasted the rest of the way without ever looking back.
An 11-0 run midway the first period set the tone for Meralco as it took a double-digit lead right away, 20-9, to start the game right.
The Bolts carried a 28-16 cushion into the second quarter.
Meralco continued to play disciplined basketball the rest of the way, keeping, Phoenix at bay on its way to another rout.
The Bolts took their second straight win to improve to 3-1 for fourth place.
On the other hand, the Fuel Masters slid to 1-4 near the bottom as their slow start continued.
A Nard Pinto trey with 10:37 remaining in gave Meralco its largest lead of 27, 88-61.
Eugene Phelps took game-high honors with 31 points and 24 rebounds for a solid showing in his team’s losing cause.
Even from the first frame, things just did not go well for Phoenix.
Fuel Master Matthew Wright injured his right foot in one of the game’s first plays and was forced to sit out most of the first half before returning to action in the second half.
In addition, Phoenix coach Louie Alas got ejected after two straight technical fouls for continuous complaining at the 7:30 mark of the second.