By REYNALD MAGALLON
Chris Newsome took charge in the final frame as Meralco zapped an import-less TNT, 87-76, to tie their PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals series at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, May 22.
Without the towering Bol Bol, who went down early with an apparent foot injury, lurking around the basket, Newsome simply had his way attacking the paint, pouring 15 of his 24 points in the final frame to put the game away.
Meralco tied the series at 1-1, with TNT now in a race against time to find a replacement for Bol, who was feared to have sustained a partial Achilles tear, when he went down at the 2:49 mark of the opening frame.
Even without the 7-foot-3 import, TNT held its ground and kept Meralco at bay through the first three quarters.
Newsome, however, came alive as the Bolts seized control in the fourth and never looked back from there. Marvin Jones finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Javee Mocon also chipped in the same scoring output.
RR Pogoy tried to carry the fight for TNT, firing 27 points as Calvin Oftana also chipped in 22 but to no avail.
Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra survived a furious fightback from Rain or Shine to come away with a 109-101 victory in Game 2.
Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos joined hands during a scintillating first half for the Kings, who led by as many as 24 but had to overcome some anxious moments in the waning seconds before finally tying the series at 1-1.
Brownlee came out firing for Ginebra in the opening frame, pouring 13 of his 31 points in that quarter although his biggest shot came when he nailed a booming triple with 4:57 left to give Ginebra a 101-84 lead.
That advantage proved to be enough to cushion a 13-0 rally from the Elasto Painters who cut the deficit to just four, 97-101, with 1:37 left.
The Kings, however, regained their footing defensively, pulling off two consecutive stops in the waning seconds including one against a driving Adrian Nocum who could have kept the rally for the Elasto Painters.
Instead, Scottie Thompson was sent to the foul line and took care of the free throws that kept Ginebra’s head above the water until the final buzzer.
Brownlee added 15 rebounds and eight assists to his tally while Abarrientos finished with 21 points and six assists. Thompson was also big for Ginebra with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists while Japeth Aguilar had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.
