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The Meralco Bolts celebrate after winning their first-ever PBA championship on Sunday, June 16, 2024, at the Araneta Coliseum. PBA Images

The Meralco Bolts celebrate after winning their first-ever PBA championship on Sunday, June 16, 2024, at the Araneta Coliseum

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2024 PBA Philippine Cup

Romwel Anzures

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1718546400594PBA Images2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The Meralco Bolts celebrate after winning their first-ever PBA championship on Sunday, June 16, 2024, at the Araneta Coliseum. PBA Images"/>The Meralco Bolts celebrate after winning their first-ever PBA championship on Sunday, June 16, 2024, at the Araneta Coliseum. PBA Images</div>MANILA — For the first time ever, the Meralco Bolts are PBA champions.This, after they defeated the San Miguel Beermen, 80-78, in Game 6 of the 2024 Philippine Cup Finals on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.This triumph is historic for the Bolts, as this is the first championship of the Meralco franchise since they re-entered the league in 2010.Only a head by four, 75-71, with under two minutes in the contest, Chris Newsome hit a tough jumper to create a six-point lead at the 1:44 mark. A Simon Enciso lay-in with only 26 ticks left allowed the Beermen to cut the lead to four, while back-to-back hits including a trey from newly-minted Best Player of the Conference June Mar Fajardo tied the game at 78.But they left enough time for Newsome, who hit the biggest shot of his career through a baseline jumper over Don Trollano to put the Bolts ahead for good.San Miguel had one last chance to send the series to Game 7 with just over a second left, but Fajardo couldn&#x27;t convert his second attempt from beyond the arc as the buzzer sounded.Earlier, after ending the first period with a triple from Chris Banchero to extend their lead to 11, Meralco continued with their surge and led by as much as 17, 46-29, following baskets from Bong Quinto, Brandon Bates, and Allein Maliksi.The perennial league powerhouse, however, would not go down without a fight and went on a comeback in between the second and third quarters to tie the game at 49, all thanks to a pair of free-throw makes from Fajardo.The Beermen continued to threaten to take the lead from Meralco as Fajardo and Mo Tautuaa kept SMB within striking distance, but Newsome, Cliff Hodge, and Bong Quinto did just enough to establish a five-point cushion at the end of the third canto. Terrence Romeo then hit a three-pointer early in the final quarter to get San Miguel to within four, 65-61, but upon review, his attempt did not beat the buzzer resulting in it being nullified.Adding more to their woes was the eight-to-nothing spurt from Maliksi, Newsome, and Raymond Almazan as this rebuilt a 13-point Bolts lead, 71-58, but San Miguel slowly crawled back yet again and got to within four, 75-71, after a counter 13-4 run which was ended by a triple from Enciso with still 2:27 left in the game.The Scores:MERALCO 80 – Newsome 15, Maliksi 14, Quinto 11, Bancheor 10, Almazan 9, Caram 6, Torres 6, Hodge 6, Bates 3, Rios 0SAN MIGUEL 78 – Fajardo 21, Perez 14, Lassiter 11, Tautuaa 10, Romeo 9, Trollano 7, Ross 1, Enciso 0, Teng 0, Cruz 0, Brondial 0QUARTERS: 29-18, 47-40, 63-58, 80-78<div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"> </div>

The Meralco Bolts can finally call themselves PBA champions.

The Meralco Bolts can finally call themselves PBA champions.

Meralco makes history, clinches first franchise championship at San Miguel’s expense

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Meralco makes history, clinches first franchise championship at San Miguel’s expense

Romwel Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 16, 2024 09:02 PM PHT

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Updated Jun 16, 2024 10:00 PM PHT

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PBA Finals

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2024 PBA Philippine Cup

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