Meralco on brink of first PBA title with 3-2 lead over San Miguel


Meralco Bolts’ Cliff Hodge, Allein Maliksi and Raymond Almazan during Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

HIGHLIGHTS: PBA Finals Game 5 San Miguel vs Meralco

MANILA, Philippines–Meralco played with renewed zest in the payoff frame and then kept it together in the final moments on Friday night to slip past San Miguel, 92-88, and move to the doorstep of a maiden PBA Philippine Cup championship.

Allein Maliksi led the scoring charge at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, as Chris Newsome applied the finishing touches in the Game 5 triumph that put the Bolts ahead 3-2 in the best-of-seven championship duel.

“Both teams are always ready. I don’t think anybody’s gonna have their guard down. Every game has been close, but that last game though, we didn’t do our job. Today was a struggle and it could’ve gone the other way, but we’re now looking at the next game,” head coach Luigi Trillo said in the post-game presser.

READ: PBA Finals: Meralco, San Miguel brace for war with pivotal Game 5 up

“We cannot be too down on ourselves and we cannot be too high on ourselves, and these guys knew that. They were brave today. I have faith in the guys, they are a resilient bunch,” he went on as his crew rebounded from a decisive Game 4 beating last Wednesday.

Maliksi finished with 22 points off the bench, while Newsome delivered just as many–with 18 points coming in the second half of the victory.

Meralco Bolts' Allein Maliksi tries to slip past the defense of San Miguel Beermen's Chris Ross during Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals

Meralco Bolts’ Allein Maliksi tries to slip past the defense of San Miguel Beermen’s Chris Ross during Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“We just wanted to stay in the moment. Today, I challenged myself. We’ve read articles (about our struggles) so, I told Bong (Quinto), Raymond (Almazan) that we step up,” Maliksi said.

And that’s what Meralco did. Almazan and Quinto tossed in 14 and 8 points as the Bolts limited San Miguel to yet a sub-90 point performance–a trend that has done wonders for the Bolts this finale.

Fajardo had 38 points that went with 18 rebounds. CJ Perez added 17 but was the only other San Miguel player to chip in a double-digit score.

Meralco can wrap this series up this Sunday at the same venue.

“We want to win one to gain respect. And that’s what’s on our mind for this Sunday,” said Trillo.

The Scores:

MERALCO 92 – Maliksi 22, Newsome 22, Almazan 14, Banchero 12, Quinto 8, Bates 6, Hodge 6, Caram 2, Rios 0, Torres 0, Pascual 0

SAN MIGUEL 88 – Fajardo 38, Perez 17, Lassiter 6, Romeo 6, Cruz 6, Tautuaa 5, Trollano 5, Ross 3, Manuel 2,



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QUARTERS: 24-25, 47-46, 69-70, 92-88

PBA Finals Game 5 San Miguel vs Meralco


2024 PBA Philippine Cup Finals schedule (Game 5)

Smart Araneta Coliseum

7:30pm – San Miguel Beermen vs Meralco Bolts

FULL SCHEDULE HERE.

PBA Finals: Meralco, San Miguel brace for war with pivotal Game 5 up

San Miguel Beermen vs Meralco Bolts in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—There has been a popular notion in basketball that when a best-of-seven duel is tied at 2-2, whoever wins Game 5 wins the series.

While that may have proven true for several series in the past, players from Meralco and San Miguel don’t see the same thing going down in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Just ask Chris Newsome and Chris Ross, who will be leading their respective teams in the now-virtual best-of-three series for the All-Filipino trophy. FULL STORY

PBA Finals: With tiebreaker looming, Meralco tries to dig out more points

Meralco Bolts' Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen.

Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Producing the best scoring game of his PBA career with 40 points provided little silver lining for Meralco’s Chris Newsome after San Miguel Beer evened things up at 2-2 in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

“It’s great that I scored 40, but the win is definitely more important,” Newsome said after the Game 4 defeat on Wednesday night.

Newsome and the Bolts have another crack at getting a third win, and closer to their first-ever PBA title, in Friday’s pivotal fifth game of the series at Smart Araneta Coliseum. FULL STORY

PBA: Terrence Romeo determined to help San Miguel despite injury

San Miguel Beermen guard Terrence Romeo suits up in PBA Finals Game 4.

San Miguel Beermen guard Terrence Romeo suits up in PBA Finals Game 4. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel Beer coach Jorge Gallent commended Terrence Romeo for playing through the pain in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

In the Beermen’s 111-101 conquest of Meralco, Romeo played significant minutes despite nursing an aching calf.

Gallent said that Romeo insisted on playing for the Beermen in hopes of avoiding a 3-1 rut. FULL STORY

PBA: Chris Newsome’s career-best down the drain with Game 4 loss

Meralco Bolts' Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen.

Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—It may have been a career night for Chris Newsome, but that was the last thing on his mind after Meralco Bolts’ ‘ Game 4 loss to San Miguel in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Newsome scored a career best 40 points  only for the Bolts to lose to the Beermen and have the series pushed back to square one at 2-2.

“They made their adjustments. That’s what a playoff series is all about. They definitely came with a lot more energy today and you certainly saw it,” said Newsome. FULL STORY



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Meralco, San Miguel brace for war ahead of Game 5


San Miguel Beermen vs Meralco Bolts in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

SCHEDULE: PBA Finals San Miguel vs Meralco

MANILA, Philippines—There has been a popular notion in basketball that when a best-of-seven duel is tied at 2-2, whoever wins Game 5 wins the series.

While that may have proven true for several series in the past, players from Meralco and San Miguel don’t see the same thing going down in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Just ask Chris Newsome and Chris Ross, who will be leading their respective teams in the now-virtual best-of-three series for the All-Filipino trophy.

“I’ve seen a lot of crazy things in series,” said Newsome in jest after their 111-101 loss to the Beermen in Game 4 of the Finals at Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.

READ: PBA Finals: San Miguel gets back at Meralco to tie series at 2-2

“You can never count one team out because the goal is to win two now. [It] doesn’t matter how you win two. You can win the first one, lose the second and win the third or lose the first and win two straight.”

The all-important Finals Game 5 is on Friday.

Newsome and the Bolts could’ve avoided the 2-2 deadlock, but the Beermen found their footing just in time to tie their duel again.

Despite Newsome’s career-best 40 points on a waxing-hot 66 percent shooting clip, Meralco wasn’t able to tame the mammoth of a man in June Mar Fajardo.

Take the ‘Beeracle’

San Miguel Beermen center June Mar Fajardo steers his team in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against Meralco Bolts.

San Miguel Beermen center June Mar Fajardo steers his team in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against Meralco Bolts. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Fajardo, who minutes before the game was awarded as the Best Player of the Conference, proved that he deserved the plum by dropping 28 points and 13 rebounds, pushing San Miguel to knot the series at two games a piece.

Fajardo is no stranger to pressure in big moments. He was, after all, an important part of PBA history with the “Beeracle,” a moment Newsome acknowledged with the series reaching a crescendo after Game 4.

“I always refer back to the Beeracle where they had to win four straight so it’s definitely not impossible to pull it off if you don’t win that one (Game 5) but it really comes down to who plays great basketball, who hits shots and who’s more focused,” said the Gilas guard.

Moments after Newsome’s exit from the Big Dome, Chris Ross emerged out of San Miguel’s dugout.

READ: PBA Finals: Shackled June Mar Fajardo key to Meralco success

His squad took an important win, sure, but Ross wasn’t displaying much of a happy face.

Like Newsome, he too doesn’t believe that whoever wins the fifth game wins the best-of-seven clash.

“It’s first to four however you can get there, however you get it. We knew this was going to be a long series,” said a focused Ross.

“We know they’re a good team and we’re a good team as well. They’re fighting for their first chip and we’re fighting to keep the trophy,” he added.

Ross didn’t have much of an impact offensively with six points, only one out of his six tries from the field.

It is, however, in the intangibles where Ross affected the game positively for the Beermen. He dropped six assists to his teammates in the statement win, opening up opportunities when needed for San Miguel. He also snagged four steals, stunning the Meralco front on offense.

But Ross means business in the next games and he doesn’t care how long the Beermen takes to get there, as long as his squad wins their second straight PBA title.



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“I really don’t care how long it goes, as long as we win. We’re ready for whatever.”

PBA Finals: With tiebreaker looming, Meralco tries to dig out more points


Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Producing the best scoring game of his PBA career with 40 points provided little silver lining for Meralco’s Chris Newsome after San Miguel Beer evened things up at 2-2 in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

“It’s great that I scored 40, but the win is definitely more important,” Newsome said after the Game 4 defeat on Wednesday night.

Newsome and the Bolts have another crack at getting a third win, and closer to their first-ever PBA title, in Friday’s pivotal fifth game of the series at Smart Araneta Coliseum. But not only will the Bolts face the pressure of a tied series, they will enter the 7:30 p.m. contest in urgent need of a plan to figure out how to counter the adjustments San Miguel made in getting a 111-101 win two nights earlier.

The scoreline already offers a clue to how the Beermen succeeded in solving the Bolts defensive schemes. For the first time in the series, a team won by scoring at least 100 points.

A grindout, defensive affair has often favored the Bolts throughout their playoff run, and that was the reason Meralco won two of the first three games of the Finals.

But the Beermen finally showed their offensive juggernaut that they have been known for throughout the two-conference season.

June Mar Fajardo’s 28 points epitomized why there are now cracks in the vaunted Meralco defense that centered on making life miserable for the newly crowned Best Player of the Conference, while CJ Perez and Marcio Lassiter continued their consistent form in the series.

Balanced offense is key

And then the minutes provided by Vic Manuel and Terrence Romeo, who both played for the first time in the Finals, also proved vital.

“[San Miguel scoring 111 points] is definitely more than what we’re used to giving up,” Newsome said. “We have to go back and play Meralco basketball which is defensive-minded and I think we lost a bit of that [in Game 4].”Balanced offense will also be key for the Bolts as Newsome’s scoring output overshadowed a lack of support from some of the team’s key sources for baskets.

Allein Maliksi and Bong Quinto could only combine for 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting in Game 4. Both had scoring averages of at least 10 in the first three games.

Beermen coach Jorge Gallent wouldn’t mind making that a trend.

“As long as the rest don’t score, we’re fine,” said Gallent, who will also be wary of other Meralco players picking up the slack like Cliff Hodge.



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Aside from being a pest on defense, Hodge has put up 14.8 points a game in the Finals, third on the team behind Newsome and guard Chris Banchero (16.3).