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| Marvin Jones recovered from his shock struggles against all-Filipino Rain Or Shine with a solid performance against Titan Ultra. Peter Baltazar |
QUEZON CITY--Meralco overcame a late push for Titan Ultra to preserve a 118-105 blowout win in their PBA Commissioner's Cup game on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Two nights after getting staggered by an import-less Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters side, the Bolts quickly imposed their will against the Giant Risers, holding them to just 16 points in the first quarter before erupting for 35 in the second for a 61-42 lead.
Meralco then extended its lead to as high as 28 in the third quarter.
However, behind the heroics of rookie Bryan Sajonia, Titan Ultra came alive in the fourth quarter and cut the gap down to eight, 97-89, with 4:59 left.
The Bolts pulled away for good after responding on a 9-0 run highlighted by a free throw by Chris Newsome off a technical foul and a breakaway dunk by Bong Quinto.
CJ Cansino put up 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, five rebounds, five assists, and one steal, while Marvin Jones scored 24 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal for Meralco, which moved up to 3-1.
Sajonia put up a career-high 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting, two rebounds, and two assists, while Michael Gilmore also had 25 points with 15 rebounds and one assist for Titan Ultra, which dropped to 1-3.
