Bolts Hold Off Black Knights for Third Straight Win

Meralco relied on its poise down the stretch to fend off a gritty Macau side, 115-110, securing its third consecutive victory in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Saturday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

With 3:58 remaining and the Bolts trailing by two, CJ Cansino sparked a crucial run, scoring back-to-back baskets to give Meralco a 111-109 lead with under two minutes to go.

Macau’s Ramon Cao briefly kept the Black Knights in the game, hitting one of two free throws, but Meralco's Marvin Jones quickly responded with a clutch basket to extend the lead to 113-110 with 45.1 seconds left.

Cansino then made a key defensive play, blocking Phoenix Shackleford’s three-point attempt, before Jansen Rios sealed the win with a layup inside the paint with 9.8 seconds remaining.

“They hung in there, they started making their threes. But at the end of the day, these guys pulled through,” Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo said. “Coach had a talk with them at the half; he got them to realize how big this game is.”

Jones led the Bolts with 32 points and 14 rebounds, guiding Meralco to a 5-1 record and moving them into second place in the standings, surpassing NLEX.

Cansino contributed 23 points, seven rebounds, and two steals, while Jason Brickman added 13 points, six assists, and three rebounds. Chris Newsome also chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Meralco will look to extend its winning streak to four games when they face NLEX on Friday, April 17, at Ynares Center II in Montalban.

For Macau, Shackleford led the charge with 29 points, including a 4-of-5 shooting performance from beyond the arc, but the Black Knights remained winless at 0-6.

Jenning Leung finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Cao posted 20 points and eight rebounds. Tony Mitchell contributed 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Damian Chongqui had 13 points and 13 assists.

Despite a shortened rotation that kept Macau competitive, head coach Marcus Elliott’s squad fell short in their bid for a first win.

Macau will try again to break its losing streak when they face NLEX on Tuesday, April 14, at Ynares Center in Antipolo.