PBA: Meralco escapes TNT to take Game 3 of Philippine Cup semis

Meralco held off a late TNT rally to win Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals, 97-89, on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The victory allowed the Bolts to avoid a 0-3 hole, trimming their series deficit to 2-1.

Meralco led 89-81 with 1:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, but RR Pogoy’s basket and Kelly Williams’ free throws cut the deficit to six with less than a minute left. TNT threatened to close the gap, but free throws from Chris Banchero, coming off a Calvin Oftana foul, and CJ Cansino’s technical free throw extended Meralco’s lead to nine.

A triple from Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser narrowed the margin anew, but Raymond Almazan’s free throws sealed the win despite a late split from Oftana.

“It’s finally nice to get a win. We haven’t beaten this team in a long time. You have to credit the guys for sticking together,” Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo said.

Chris Banchero led Meralco’s second-half surge, scoring 16 of his 18 points, while CJ Cansino added 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Chris Newsome contributed 17 points before exiting due to an apparent injury, and Bong Quinto chipped in 13 points.

For TNT, RR Pogoy led with 28 points, followed by Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser with 14. Calvin Oftana was limited to just six points.

Scores:

Meralco 97 – Banchero 18, Cansino 18, Newsome 17, Quinto 13, Almazan 11, Hodge 9, Bates 4, Rios 3, Jose 3, Maliksi 2, Black 0, Caram 0.

TNT 89 – Pogoy 28, Ganuelas-Rosser 14, Nambatac 13, Williams 11, Khobuntin 6, Erram 6, Oftana 6, Jalalon 3, Jalalon 3, Galinato 2, Enciso 0, Aurin 0, Heading 0.

Quarters: 21-15, 47-38, 70-63, 97-89.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News