By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Meralco put an end to NLEX's red-hot streak in the PBA Philippine Cup after scoring a 108-92 blowout on Sunday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.

The Bolts turned things around in the second half, outscoring the Road Warriors, 63-45, to pull away for good after a tight first half that even saw NLEX ahead, 47-45, at halftime.

Chris Newsome led Meralco, which rebuilt a winning streak of its own with back-to-back victories, with 21 points, two rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

CJ Cansino added 20 points on 4-of-7 field goals and 9-of-9 free throws, two rebounds, one steal, and two blocks off the bench as his team moved up to 5-5, keeping its playoff hopes in its hands.

The Bolts will be the first team to finish its elimination round assignments as they are down to one last game on Friday night against Barangay Ginebra at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, as they get set as well for the Basketball Champions League Asia early this June.

Robert Bolick put up 22 points, four rebounds, six assists, and one steal for NLEX, which lost for the first time since its conference opener against San Miguel, saying goodbye to a franchise-best six-game winning run.

Both the Road Warriors and the Beermen, who beat the Blackwater Bossing earlier Sunday despite only having 10 players available, are now tied for second place again at 6-2.

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