.jpg) |
| Chris Banchero was Meralco's spark plug off the bench against Phoenix. PBA Images |
MANILA—Meralco put a quick end to Phoenix's winning run in the PBA Commissioner's Cup after prevailing, 93-86, on Saturday night at the Ynares Center 1 in Antipolo.
Despite a lethargic start that saw them missing 11 of their first 12 field goals, the Bolts gradually got their game going late in the first quarter.
Eventually, they gave the Fuel Masters a dose of their own medicine by giving them a similarly stifling defense that slowed them down in the fourth quarter, holding them to just 15 points.
Chris Banchero led Meralco, now 2-0 in the standings while handing former assistant coach Charles Tiu his first loss as Phoenix's head coach, with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal off the bench.
Jason Brickman added 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Marvin Jones chipped in 15 points, 15 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.
James Dickey led the Fuel Masters, who fell to 2-1, with 28 points on 11-of-17 field goals, 21 rebounds, one assist, and two steals, but he committed five turnovers as well.
Ricci Rivero added 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal, but he went 8-of-24 from the field and had four errors too.
The Scores:
MERALCO 93 – Banchero 17, Brickman 16, Jones 15, Newsome 11, Cansino 10, Quinto 8, Black 6, Mocon 4, Magbuhos 2, Almazan 2, Hodge 2, Bates 0
PHOENIX 86 – Dickey 28, Rivero 22, Tuffin 11, Santos 9, Perkins 4, Escandor 3, Nelle 2, Caperal 2, Cullar 1, Delos Santos 0, Ando 0, Daves 0
QUARTERS: 18-23, 47-49, 73-71, 93-86
.jpg&description=PBA: Meralco snaps Phoenix's hot start, goes 2-0 too){kind=link}