PBA: Columbian breaks out of slump, ekes out win over Meralco
Columbian snapped its three-game skid at the expense of Meralco, 86-85, in the resumption of the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup hostilities Wednesday night at Araneta Coliseum.
The Dyip bucked a lethargic start and crawled their way back into the game during the second period all thanks to a brilliant performance by Rashawn McCarthy.
The Bolts had a chance to pull the rug from under Columbian after Chris Newsome hit a triple with 38 ticks left to bring Meralco within one.
Baser Amer and Cliff Hodge squandered the opportunity to put Meralco ahead missing two looks in the final 13 seconds of the game.
“I told the guys to forget what happened in the past six games but don’t forget about why we lose,” Columbian coach Johnedel Cardel, whose squad improved to 3-4, said in the post-game presser.
“We’re lucky we started the second quarter good,” he added. “The first quarter we felt like we didn’t know how to shoot the ball.”
Skipper McCarthy posted a new career-best scoring performance with 30 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
The craft guard was held scoreless in the opening salvo and then posted 10 points in each succeeding quarter. Glenn Khobuntin and Eric Camson pumped in 14 and 10 markers respectively.
Meralco drew 17 points from Newsome as Cliff Hodge and Ranidel de Ocampo chimed in 14 each. Amer contributed 10 more in the effort.
“It’s a good start for us. After the long break, [we are] much better because we had two wins,” Cardel said. “[T]he break has given us an opportunity to give the boys a time off from basketball.”
And it paid dividends as the Dyip now see the this new stretch as “a brand It’s a brand new conference,” he added.
Colubmian takes on a struggling Blackwater side this Friday at MOA Arena. Meralco, on the other hand, will try to arrest their losing streak when they face Magnolia in Cagayan de Oro City this Mar. 2.
