Meralco Bolts celebrate Philippine Cup title

Meralco Bolts - SM Beermen 80-78

Meralco Bolts clinched Philippine Cup title. They held off SM Beermen in Game 6 of the Finals to conquer the trophy. The hosts started the game with a very strong first quarter 29-18. But SM Beermen won second period 22-18. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Meralco Bolts made 7 blocks. 25 personal fouls committed by SM Beermen helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Point guard Christopher Banchero (186-1990, college: Seattle Pacific) scored 10 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists to lead the charge for the winners and guard Chris Newsome (187-1990, college: Georgetown, KY) chipped in 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. The best for the losing side was center June Mar Fajardo (210-1989) with a double-double by scoring 21 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists and guard Jaymar Perez (188-1993) scored 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game.
Top scorers:
Meralco Bolts: C.Newsome 15+5reb+4ast, A.Maliksi 14+3reb, K.Quinto 11+2reb+3ast, C.Banchero 10+8reb+8ast, R.Almazan 9+10reb, C.Hodge 6+6reb+1ast
SM Beermen: J.Mar Fajardo 21+12reb+5ast, J.Perez 14+9reb+4ast, M.Lassiter 11+2reb+1ast, M.Tautuaa 10+9reb+1ast, T.Romeo 9+1reb+1ast, C.Trollano 7+6reb