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| CJ Cansino led the charge again for surging Meralco. PBA Images |
MANILA--Meralco turned to its endgame defense to shut the door on Phoenix's chances of making the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals with an 88-78 win on Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
With the Fuel Masters trying to show heart, the Bolts held them scoreless in the final three minutes of the game, even as back-to-back threes from Chris Newsome helped seal the deal.
CJ Cansino led Meralco, which moved up to 5-4, with 22 points on 8-of-13 shots, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Newsome added 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Jason Perkins and Ricci Rivero each scored 13 points for Phoenix, which fell to 3-7.
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