Meralco deals Ginebra second straight loss in rivalry rematch

Meralco cruised to its second win in a row after eking out a 90-73 victory over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Wednesday in the 2022 PBA Philippines Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

As they renewed their rivalry, Meralco got the better of Ginebra to go up to 5-3 while Ginebra, which was still reeling from a 106-92 loss to TNT last Sunday, dropped to 6-3.

The Bolts took a 51-33 halftime lead and turned it into a 72-50 cushion at the end of the third period, after the duo of Chris Banchero and Chris Newsome took over as Meralco continued to outplay the Gin Kings.

Ginebra looked like it was staging a comeback in the fourth with hot-shooting Nards Pinto cutting their deficit to 12 twice, 78-66 and 81-69, both with his three-pointers.

But Meralco fended off Ginebra's rally with Newsome delivering the finishing kicks, hitting a bucket from downtown, 87-71, to blow the game wide open.

Newsome starred with a team-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists while Banchero poured in 17 points as Meralco pumped life to its bid for a twice-to-beat playoff incentive.

Scottie Thompson led Ginebra with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists while Pinto listed 12 markers, five boards, and three dimes against his former team.

—JMB, GMA News