Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Meralco bounced back and whipped Kia, 105-76, to snap a three-game skid in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Bolts pulled away in the second quarter, where they outscored the Picanto, 33-20.
Niño Canaleta led the way for Meralco with 17 points, 12 of which came in the first half. The Bolts (2-3) got back on track after absorbing a 99-81 blowout loss at the hands of TNT on Sunday.
“It was nice to see my players play with a lot more effort tonight and play with a little bit more purpose on defense right from the very start and it carried over the entire game,” said Meralco head coach Norman Black.
“I just thought we just had so much effort and energy tonight than we displayed last game against Talk N’ Text and hopefully that will continue in the future games,” Black added.
The Bolts limited the Picanto to below 20 points in each of the last three quarters while also hitting on all cylinders to break the game wide open.
Canaleta made four 3-pointers while Baser Amer and Jared Dillinger had three triples each as Meralco shot 44% from downtown and 51% from the field overall.
Dillinger finished with 13 points, including a 3-pointer that made it, 97-65, with 3:25 remaining.
Kia was back to its old self after snapping a 16-game slide on Saturday at the expense of Rain or Shine.
The Picanto played sloppy and just struggled to break the Bolts defense. they shot only 33% from the field and had 16 turnovers, six more than their assists total.
Rashawn McCarthy scored 17 points for Kia, which stayed at the bottom of the standings with a 1-5 card.