Akil Mitchell is proving early he was the right choice for Meralco in its PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup bid.
Meralco reinforcement Akil Mitchell received the ball from Chris Newsome off a pick-and-roll, baited Phoenix's Kenneth Tuffin, then dribbled left twice before launching the go-ahead one-hander.
That shot, made with just 1.3 ticks left, allowed the Bolts to hack out a come-from-behind 111-109 win over the Fuel Masters in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate on Friday, Nov. 29.
In his debut in the league, Mitchell submitted an all-around outing of 27 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and six steals.
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Before the import's all-important play at the finish, it was Chris Newsome who took charge, scoring nine points in the final 6:10.
Newsome totaled 23 points he topped with three rebounds and six assists.
After being sidelined by an injury in the Governors’ Cup, Aaron Black made a splashing return and fired 15 points.
Bong Quinto, who nailed the booming trey that gave the Bolts their first taste of the lead at 106-105 with 1:39 to go, finished with 14 points.
“Collectively, [I'm] just proud of the guys. [In the] first half, I thought we’re overpassing. You can see that some guys are free and they are hesitant… Big for us. Big for us,” said Meralco coach Luigi Trillo, whose team stared at a 54-73 deficit at the break.
Meralco reinforcement Akil Mitchell | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports
Meanwhile, reinforcement Donovan Smith finished with 33 points, nine rebounds, and assist, a steal and two blocks as the Fuel Masters dropped a second straight game after bowing to guest team Eastern in the opener just two days ago.
Phoenix actually had things in control for the most part after a scintillating 36-25 start.
Though Meralco started to show signs of life in the third period, the Fuel Masters still held a 91-78 edge heading into the final quarter.
But things began falling apart for Phoenix, which saw its lead slowly dissipate after Mitchell, Newsome, Black and Quinto joined forces in the fourth period.
The Fuel Masters just completely struggled when the chips were down.
Rookie Kai Ballungay contributed 18 points and seven rebounds for Phoenix.
Tyler Tio added 17 points, four rebounds and eight assists.
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The Scores:
MERALCO 111 – Mitchell 27, Newsome 23, Black 15, Quinto 14, Caram 10, Rios 8, Hodge 7, Jose 5, Almazan 2, Pasaol 0
PHOENIX 109 – Smith 33, Ballungay 18, Tio 17, Rivero 14, Alejandro 6, Perkins 6, Jazul 6, Manganti 4, Tuffin 3, Verano 2, Ular 0
Quarterscores: 25-36, 54-73, 78-91, 111-109