MANILA, Philippines–Meralco held off Magnolia on Saturday night, 82-74, to claim leadership of the PBA Governors’ Cup Group A.
The Bolts bucked Allen Durham’s subpar outing and made the most out of the Hotshots’ roster woes for a wire-to-wire victory at Panabo Multi-Purpose Tourism Cultural and Sports Center in Davao del Norte.
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Chris Newsome led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Bong Quinto added 16 points for Meralco, who rose to a 5-1 win-loss mark, moving a shade over sister team TNT.
READ: PBA: Chris Newsome’s return to Meralco from injury ends in win
Zavier Lucero had 14 points and 13 rebounds, as Mark Barroca, Paul Lee and Jeric Balanza toiled for their double-digit scores in what could be easily Magnolia’s worst shooting night in a long while.
The Hotshots were 29.1 percent from the field as Magnolia’s import replacement Shabaz Muhammad watched helplessly on the sidelines as he has yet to secure a Letter of Clearance from Fiba.
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Meralco will try to stretch its blistering run against sister team TNT on Sept. 12, while Magnolia hopes to rebound against hapless Terrafirma on the same playdate.