Trsitan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
It would’ve have been a triumphant Friday night for Chris Newsome.
But the closing seconds of Game 4 didn’t turn out the way Newsome and Meralco wanted it to be as the Bolts blew a golden opportunity to seize a 3-1 lead over Barangay Ginebra in the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.
Meralco lost a 16-point lead it built entering the fourth quarter and still had a chance to force overtime, but Newsome missed a potential game-tying jumper as time ran out.
“That’s the job. If you’re going to be in the position to take that last shot, you have to live with the result. If it doesn’t go in, it’s something you got to deal with,” said Newsome after the Bolts’ 88-86 loss.
“Unfortunately, that shot didn’t go down for me today and it’s an experience I have to learn from.”
With nowhere to go, Newsome was forced to take a contested jumper with Ginebra import Justin Brownlee all over him.
“There’s a switch and the clock was winding down so I took the shot,” he recalled.
The 26-year-old Newsome had another solid outing with 15 points, four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in over 39 minutes on the night he won Rookie of the Year.
“It’s supposed to be a great accomplishment for myself, but it’s kind of a bad time to reflect about it. It’s something I’ll probably get back to once the series is done,” he said.
But Newsome has time to recover with Game 5 set on Sunday.
“It’s definitely a missed opportunity,” he said. “Now, we’re even. It’s better to look at it as the series is tied, so technically, we’re not down. They might have a little bit of momentum with this win, so it’s up to us to make some adjustments to come back for Game 5.”