From staring at an early hole to now 2-2. That’s how the Meralco Bolts’ fortunes have changed after they rallied past Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum for an 89-75 victory. It was their second straight win after starting PBA Season 50 with back-to-back losses.
What Happened?
Ginebra controlled the game’s first 31 minutes, establishing as much as a 16-point lead, 56-40, with five minutes left in the third. Then, Meralco simply took over, outscoring Ginebra 49-19 in the last 17 minutes of the game—16-5 to end the third and 33-14 in the entire fourth quarter. Ginebra last led, 68-67, halfway through the fourth, but the Bolts unleashed a 16-1 blitzkrieg to put the game to rest and net the win.
Who Stood Out?
Chris Newsome came alive for the Bolts at just the right time, scattering 12 of his team-high 19 points in the final 17 minutes—including a triple that put Meralco in front, 67-66, early in the fourth. He added 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Providing additional firepower for the Bolts was CJ Cansino, who added 18 markers of his own.
As for Ginebra, the trio of Japeth Aguilar (13 points), Stephen Holt (12), and Jeremiah Gray (10) played well, but only in the first half. The same goes for rookie Sonny Estil, who had 9 points and 4 steals, mostly in the first 24 minutes of play.
3 Keys to the Game
- Offensive rebounding. Before exploding in the last 17 minutes, the Bolts were shooting atrociously and at one point were at 25% from the field. But their offensive rebounding kept them within striking distance. Meralco had 27 offensive boards to Ginebra’s 16 and got 21 points off of them as compared to 11 for their rivals.
- Points in the paint. A direct result of Meralco grabbing 27 offensive rebounds is the Bolts getting good looks in the paint. That and the relentless attacking of Newsome and Cansino helped Meralco to a 44-22 advantage in paint points.
- Strong finish. For a while, it looked like Ginebra was on its way to an easy victory. But Meralco woke up just in time to author an emphatic finish. The Bolts’ turnaround was so forceful that they nearly equaled Ginebra’s biggest lead.
Next Up for the PBA
The PBA takes the action to Ilocos Sur on Saturday, October 18, 2025, when the Converge FiberXers and TNT Tropang 5G face off in a battle of teams with title aspirations. The game will be played at Chavit Coliseum and will start at 7:30 p.m.
Converge vs. TNT
