March 23 ------ Meralco pulled off a brave comeback on Wednesday night, beating the Magnolia Chicken Timplados in overtime, 113-107, to reach the semifinals of the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Aaron Black hit a Hail Mary shot at the buzzer, 96-96, to cap the Bolts' comeback from seven down with three minutes left in regulation before Chris Newsome, Bong Quinto, and KJ McDaniels hit big threes in overtime to complete the job. “Big win for us. Exactly what I expected. Another tough game with Magnolia. Now, we are moving on to Talk ‘N Text,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.
The grindout win sent fourth-seeded Meralco to the semifinals where it will meet top-seeded sister team TNT starting on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel, both under the SMC umbrella, clash in the other best-of-five semifinal series.
Newsome had a career-high 33 points including the go-ahead three that gave Meralco the lead for good, 103-101. Quinto broke a 103-103 tie with his own three before McDaniels extended the lead to six with another triple. McDaniels finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Black had 16 points including the tough, looping jumper over two Magnolia defenders to beat the buzzer in regulation and complete the Hotshots' comeback from a 96-89 deficit.
It was a disappointing conclusion to the campaign of Magnolia, which led 66-53 in the third quarter but let Meralco back in the game late. Antonio Hester and Mark Barroca led a 8-0 run that enabled the Hotshots to grab a 96-89 lead, but the team failed to score again in the final three minutes of regulation. The Bolts also forced a turnover in the final play of the fourth with Newsome stealing the ball from Hester at the post, leading to the buzzer-beating basket by Black.
The scores:
Meralco 113 – Newsome 33, McDaniels 27, Black 16, Banchero 16, Maliksi 9, Almazan 7, Quinto 3, Hodge 2, Caram 0, Pasaol 0, Jose 0.
Magnolia 107 – Lee 22, Hester 21, Barroca 18, Abueva 15, Jalalon 9, Dela Rosa 8, Dionisio 6, Wong 4, Escoto 4, Corpuz 0.
Quarters: 22-21; 47-49; 76-78; 96-96; 113-107.
Source: spin.ph
Editor's note:
In the first game, TNT cruised to a 132-105 win over Phoenix Super LPG. Roger Pogoy had 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals to lead TNT. Jayson Castro added 20 points, Glenn Khobuntin scored 19 points built from 5-of-10 from threes and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds for the win.
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