Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Meralco Bolts asserted its dominance over TNT KaTropa, 98-87, on Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Ed Daquioag displayed another stellar performance with 23 points, four rebounds, and two steals for the Bolts.
Meralco spoiled the coaching debut of Nash Racela with KaTropa.
From a tied score at the half, the Bolts took control of the pace in the third period until the end.
Daquioag’s corner triple sealed the deal for Meralco as it widened the gap for good, 96-85, with 43.7 seconds left in the game.
It was a balanced scoring for the Bolts with five players registering double-digit outputs.
Defense was also key to Meralco’s second victory in three outings.
For the TNT, Jayson Castro paced with 23 points and seven assists. The KaTropa fell to 2-2 in the standings.
The scores:
Meralco (98) – Daquioag 23, Al-Hussaini 14, Hugnatan 11, Newsome 11, Nabong 10, Amer 9, Hodge 9, Caram 6, Yeo 4, Grey 1, Faundo 0, Chua 0.
TNT (87) – Castro 23, Williams 19, De Ocampo 9, Pogoy 9, reyes 9, Tautuaa 6, Rosser 5, Rosario 4, Fonacier 3, Carey 0, Rosales 0.
Quarterscores: 26-23, 45-45, 75-69, 98-87.
