Chris Newsome led Meralco to a thrilling 92-88 victory over the San Miguel Beermen, scoring 22 points in Game 5 and handing the Bolts a 3-2 lead on Friday night in the 48th Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup finals series at the Araneta Coliseum.
Newsome played a crucial role in the final period, scoring eight points during a decisive 10-2 run. This burst transformed a narrow 78-76 edge into a comfortable 88-78 lead with just 4:34 remaining. Despite a valiant effort by the Beermen, including Junemar Fajardo’s game-high 38 points, they fell short.
CJ Perez’s missed free throw in the final 7.2 seconds left the Beermen trailing 88-90, sealing their fate.
“It was a tough game and could have gone either way,” said Bolts coach Luigi Trillo. “We just need to move forward and focus on the next game.” The Bolts aim to clinch the series and the championship in Game 6 on Sunday.
Fajardo’s impressive performance included 12 points in the third quarter, sparking a 14-2 run that erased a 49-57 deficit and gave the Beermen a 70-69 lead in the final seconds of the quarter. However, triples from Newsome and Bong Quinto at the start of the third quarter initiated an 8-0 run, pushing the Bolts ahead 57-49 by the 9:40 mark.
The Bolts took a slender halftime lead of 47-46, thanks to Allein Maliksi’s last-second three-pointer. They had earlier overcome a 30-37 deficit with a 12-0 run in the second quarter, capped by Quinto’s trey, to take a 42-37 lead.
Chris Banchero’s drive at the end of the first quarter kept the Bolts within one point, 24-25. Maliksi ended the first half with 11 points, while Raymund Almazan contributed 10 points.
With this pivotal win, the Bolts are just one game away from capturing the championship, while the Beermen must regroup and fight back in Game 6 to extend the series.