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PBA: Newsome, Banchero spark Meralco to Game 1 stunner over San Miguel

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Romwel Anzures

ABS-CBN News

<div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1717596204672IMG_4120.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Meralco’s Chris Banchero. <em>Photo from PBA Images.</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — The Meralco Bolts opened the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup Finals on the right note.</p><p>This, after the Luigi Trillo and Nenad Vucinic-coached team scored a 93-86 Game 1 victory, Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.</p><p>Chris Banchero scored 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists to lead the Bolts, Chris Newsome had the same amount of points and dimes together with six boards, while Cliff Hodge was a monster on the glass, tallying 15 rebounds (nine offensive), seven points, and two assists.</p><p>This balanced attack, according to Trillo, is what worked for them especially in the second half wherein they slowly broke away.</p><p>&quot;They beat us in a lot of categories in the first half, then we came out in the second half and were able to do the game plan that we wanted to do,&quot; said the one-time PBA champion coach after the game.</p><p>&quot;We did a better job in the second half, and overall, it&#x27;s a team effort in which everyone was chipping in,&quot; he continued.</p><p>Also contributing to their victory were Allein Maliksi and Bong Quinto who had 15 points each, while Brandon Bates held his own against June Mar Fajardo and the rest of San Miguel&#x27;s frontline with four blocks, four rebounds, two points, and a steal.</p><p>As Meralco was up by eight, 91-83, with under two minutes left in the contest, Banchero scored a follow-up lay-in off a miss by Newsome to allow their squad to extend their lead to four possessions.</p><p>Don Trollano cut the lead to seven after his triple in the following possession, but that was the last chance that they had to avoid losing in Game 1.</p><p>Earlier in the game, tied at 75 after a basket by Raymond Almazan at the 9:55 mark of the fourth as both teams exchanged in a nip-and-tuck affair in the first 36 minutes, the All-Filipino Finals newcomers extended their lead to four, 79-75, following a Cliff Hodge conversion and a dunk from Bong Quinto.</p><p>A pair of splits from the foul line which came from CJ Perez and June Mar Fajardo allowed SMB to get to within two, but Brandon Bates and Banchero answered with two straight baskets to increase their lead to six, 83-77.</p><p>Both teams continued to alternate hits in the following possession, but it was the offensive rebounding of Meralco as well as the breakaway lay-in of Bachero that allowed them to lead by eight, 89-91, with only 3:24 remaining in the game. </p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1717602750684PBA Images3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Meralco&#x27;s Chris Newsome in action against San Miguel in Game 1 of the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup Finals, June 5, 2024 at the Araneta Coliseum. PBA Images"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Meralco&#x27;s Chris Newsome in action against San Miguel in Game 1 of the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup Finals, June 5, 2024 at the Araneta Coliseum. <em>PBA Images</em></span></span></span></div><p>Meanwhile, leading San Miguel was Fajardo’s 23-point, 10-rebound game, while helping him was CJ Perez who finished with 20 markers, seven boards, and two dimes.</p><p>Unfortunately for San Miguel, Perez saw himself in foul trouble as he got his fourth one before the first half ended, but the Gilas Pilipinas guard offered no excuses for their showing.</p><p>&quot;Malaking epekto yun. Finals ngayon eh, hindi dapat tinatawag yung mga ganong kanipis na foul. Pero tapos na yun, magfo-focus kami sa Game 2,&quot; he said.</p><p>Also standing out for the Beermen was Marcio Lassiter with 16 points, nine came from beyond the arc, but it all went for naught as they saw their five-game win streak come to an end.</p><p>Meralco will now be hoping to post a 2-0 lead come Game which is scheduled on Friday, 7:30 PM, still at the Big Dome.</p><div><strong>The Scores:</strong></div><p><strong>MERALCO 93</strong> – Newsome 18, Banchero 18, Quinto 15, Maliksi 15, Caram 9, Almazan 8, Hodge 7, Bates 2, Pascual 1, Torres 0, Pasaol 0, Jose 0, Dario 0.</p><p><strong>SAN MIGUEL 86</strong> – Fajardo 23, Perez 20, Lassiter 16, Trollano 9, Tautuaa 5, Cruz 5, Teng 4, Brondial 4, Ross 0, Enciso 0.</p><p><strong>QUARTERS</strong>: 19-20, 44-51, 70-72, 93-86</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j-CnuMxfa0s?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><br/></div>

<p>The Meralco Bolts opened the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup Finals on the right note.</p>