By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Meralco Bolts showed poise under pressure and sank the much-needed free throws to break the Magnolia Hotshots Chicken Timplados’ winning streak at four, 86-84, in a back-and-forth PBA Governor’s Cup showdown last February 26, 2023, held at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Down by a deuce after a Calvin Abueva layup with 1:25 remaining in the game, Meralco stuck to their game plan and was able to fish for fouls after pounding their way inside the paint led by Chris Newsome and KJ McDaniels.
The superstar duo combined for four cold-blooded converted shots from the charity stripe that proved to be enough to hold off the surging Magnolia squad.
McDaniels buried three of Meralco’s final four free throw shots after bulldozing his way inside the shaded lane despite a tight perimeter coverage from Magnolia’s import Antonio Hester.
The Chicken Timplados had two chances to ice the game but both attempts by Rome dela Rosa and Paul Lee failed to kiss the net in the final 12 seconds of the game.
Magnolia looked invincible again in the first half after notching a double-digit lead in the second quarter but the offensive rebounding of Meralco became a vital element to their successful comeback attempt.
Cliff Hodge, one of the best rebounding forwards in the PBA, gifted the Bolts eight offensive boards that helped them win the second-chance points battle.
His energy and tenacity then became infectious which paved the way for a strong Meralco second-half finish combined with a more patient defensive stand.
McDaniels spearheaded Meralco’s come-from-behind win after tallying another double-double outing of 19 points and 15 rebounds backstopped by Newsome’s 16 markers.
“It turned out what we thought it would be. It wasn’t very pretty because both teams really rely a little bit on defense than they do on offense. We made amazing stops at the end of the game,” said Meralco head coach Norman Black.
Meanwhile, Hester had another dominant performance of 23 points and 15 rebounds but wasn’t enough to fend off the rolling Bolts.
