Bolts crush Dyip, clinch twice-to-beat advantage

The Meralco Bolts delivered a dominant performance, routing Terrafirma 113-69 on Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium to secure a Top Four finish and a coveted twice-to-beat incentive in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup.

The Bolts jumped out to a commanding 51-20 lead in the first half and never looked back in a thoroughly one-sided contest. Terrafirma played without import Mubashar Ali, who was sidelined due to food poisoning, making the task even tougher for the Dyip.

With the victory, Meralco improved to 8-3 and joined NLEX, Barangay Ginebra, and Rain or Shine in the upper half of the standings, earning one of the remaining twice-to-beat advantages heading into the quarterfinals.

Head coach Luigi Trillo expressed satisfaction after the win, noting the significance of the achievement.

“It’s been three years since we had a chance to get a twice-to-beat,” Trillo said. “We did enough early to put ourselves in a good situation. Sometimes a little bit of luck also helps, like their import not playing today. I’m happy for the guys.”

The Bolts showcased impressive balance, with seven players finishing in double figures. Marvin Jones and Chris Newsome led the way with 14 points each, while CJ Cansino added 13. Brandon Bates recorded a double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds), and Bong Quinto, Javee Mocon, and Chris Banchero also chipped in solidly. Meralco dished out 29 assists in total.

The Bolts will look to wrap up their elimination round campaign on a high note when they face Magnolia this Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

For Terrafirma, Paolo Hernandez led the scoring with 15 points and 6 rebounds as the Dyip concluded the conference with a 4-8 record.