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Rios clutch triple lifts Meralco to third straight win
Jansen Rios buried a crucial three-pointer in the dying seconds of the game to give Meralco the win against Terrafirma, 96-91, on Friday night, December 6, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The win also lifted the Bolts the share of the lead in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup team standings with NorthPort Batang Pier at 3-0.
It was a grind-out battle in the crucial stage of the game until Rios hit an unmolested triple at the right corner to give the Meralco a 94-91 lead and Chris Newsome sank two free throws after Dyip's erratic plays in the final 9.4 seconds of the game.
The game seemed like it would be a blowout game when the Bolts erected a 67-51 lead in the third quarter but Terrafirma showed resiliency and even tied the game at 91-all with 1:05 left in the fourth and final period.
Meralco coach Luigi Trillo was just glad his team hung on despite blowing a big lead.
Photo Courtesy: PBA
"We got lucky. When you think about it, maganda 'yung start ng Terrafirma. It's hard when you've got new guys coming in, a new import just like us. But I thought they played very well in that first half," said Trillo.
"We got it together in the third, good enough to get a lead, and at the start of the fourth. But you've got to give them credit. They're resilient out there, maganda gel nila ng import nila. Those players didn't give up," he added.
Meralco's new import DJ Kennedy scored the game-high 32 points, to go along with six rebounds, and four assists including the last one that found the wide-open Rios.
"I think the biggest thing is how physical the game is. The refs will let you play, you've got to play through it. It's no big deal for me," said Kennedy, who came off the bench and immediately picked up three fouls in just under five minutes of play before settling down.
Newsome almost had a triple-double as he produced 15 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, while Raymond Almazan added 15 points and 12 boards. Rios finished with 11 markers.
Brandon Edwards, also a replacement import for Terrafirma, had 21 points and 13 rebounds on his debut game as a Dyip but missed a short stab that led to that Rios basket.
Brent Paraiso added 20 points and Vic Manuel produced 13 for the losing squad.
The Scores:
MERALCO 96 - Kennedy 32, Newsome 15, Almazan 15, Rios 11, Caram 7, pascual 6, Quinto 4Hodge 3, Pasaol 2, Black 1, Jose 0, Torres 0.
TERRAFIRMA 91 - Edwards 21, Paraiso 20, Manuel 13, Sangalang 10, Melecio 9, Pringle 6, Olivario 5, Catapusan 2, Nonoy 2, Ramos 2, Ferrer 1, Hernandez 0, Zaldivar 0.
Quarter Scores: 21-20, 39-40, 69-61, 96-91.
