MERALCO simply refused to give up, clawing back from 15 points down then capitalizing on NorthPort's bungled free throws at the finish to snatch a 105-104 win in the PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig Friday night.
The Batang Pier muffed five charities inside the final minute, with the last pair giving the Bolts the chance to steal the game which they did on a strong drive to the basket by Bong Quinto with two seconds left to play.
The Bolts played catch-up basketball practically all night, taking the upper hand only on that Quinto drive that proved to be the decider in Meralco's first win in their last four outings.
Wil Navarro missing a jumper at the buzzer sealed their sad fate, sending them to a fourth straight loss and allowing the Bolts to regain their winning ways and improve to 3-3.
Chris Newsome scattered 24 points, Chris Banchero tossed in 23 while Cliff Hodge delivered 18 and 14 rebounds before fouling out as the three played key roles in their fightback from 15 down at 37-52.
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Quinto struggled with a 6-of-12 shooting clip but still had the courage to take their final possession and go for the winning play, scuttling NorthPort's solid performance after three blowout losses to Rain or Shine, Blackwater and Barangay Ginebra.
Quinto finished with 17 markers going with nine rebounds and two assists against three turnovers.
With Arvin Tolentino still sidelined by an injury, Joshua Munzon led five NorthPort players in double figures - a balanced attack that had them seizing early control of the game.
They looked on the way to finally nailing a second win after a triumphant conference debut versus the Terrafirma Dyip. However, 1-of-6 clip from the stripe stymied their bid.
Sidney Onwubere missed a pair with NorthPort holding a 104-101 lead with 12 ticks to go.
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In the ensuing play, a quick Banchero basket trimmed the gap to 103-104 then they sent Jalalon to the stripe with 8.4 seconds left.
Sadly for NorthPort, Jalalon also missed both charities, opening the window for the Meralco thriller of a win.(SB)
The scores:
Meralco 105 - Newsome 24, Banchero 23, Hodge 18, Quinto 17, Black 14, Cansino 3, Bates 2, Jose 2, Rios 2, Almazan 0, Pasaol 0, Caram 0, Torres 0.
NorthPort 104 - Munzon 36, Navarro 14, Jalalon 11, Kwekuteye 10, Flores 10, Nelle 7, Onwubere 7, Cuntapay 6, Bulanadi 3, Nava 0, Taha 0.
Quarterscores: 21-30, 42-54, 74-81, 105-104
