Allein Maliksi of Meralco. –PBA PHOTOS SMALL
MANILA, Philippines — Meralco hit two birds with one stone Sunday night with 89-86 cuts of the mighty San Miguel beer during the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
The Bolts returned to the winning column and then secured a playoff spot in the late-round shootout from Allein Maliksi and Aaron Black, who combined for the club’s final 10 points to eliminate the Beermen.
“We have people we trust. And looking at the quality of the shots, the shots are good. As long as we’re doing the right things when we foul, we’re in the right position and the decision-making is good, it’s up to Allein,” said Luigi Trillo, who went on to appoint the head coach. Norman Black said.
“But also credit to those who set him up. We looked at Allein, but Chris Newsome set him up, Aaron Black set him up. Cliff (Hodge) has tons of screens as does Raymond (Almazan). Again, a joint team effort, but it’s really nice to see Allein hit those big shots,” he continued.
Maliksi finished with 18 points, Newsome added 16 while Black went all-out with 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the game the Bolts organization dedicated to the departure of coach Norman Bessie’s mother .
“We are all playing for the coach. He means a lot to our organization,” Trillo said. “This is a good win for him.”
Jun Mar Fajardo had 21 points while the other four finished with at least 11 points as the Beermen had a chance to end their qualifying round with a win, and slide to 9-2.
San Miguel continues to be reeling from the league’s health and safety protocols, as Ato Agustin and Boycie Zamar are left to spearheads for the club. However, they are advancing to the next round with a two-beat defense in the bag.
The point:
MERALCO 89 – Maliksi 18, Newsome 16, Black 15, Hodge 9, Almazan 8, Banchero 7, Jose 6, Quinto 4, Hugnatan 4, Pascual 2, Baclao 0.
SAN MIGUEL 86 – Fajardo 21, Perez 14, Lassiter 12, Manuel 12, Enciso 11, Tautuaa 9, Pessumal 5, Zamar 2, Canete 0, Faundo 0.
QUARTER: 19-26, 40-37, 70-67, 89-86
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