Chris Newsome had all the makings of what could have been an epic Friday night.
Honored as this season’s Rookie of the Year, the highflying winger was motivated to help Meralco go on a 3-1 series lead against Ginebra in the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals. The Bolts also seemed to have found their groove, running the Gin Kings to the ground as they established a 74-58 third quarter lead.
But then came a disastrous fourth quarter, with Ginebra staging a run of its own behind the heroics of Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa.
“I feel like we lost a lot of aggressiveness,” said Newsome. “In the third quarter, we were the aggressor and in the fourth, they came a little more aggressive. Mark and Jayjay hit some big shots, and credits for coach Tim (Cone) in putting that lineup. Big move for them.”
Meralco tried to find a counter, but the shots just weren’t falling.
And it all came to a head in the final 7.4 seconds with Ginebra leading, 88-86. Newsome got the ball and cruised down the middle, where Justin Brownlee met him as the clock trickled down. Left with no more choice, the rookie forced a 15-footer, missing horribly as the series went 2-2.
“It all fell on us. We stopped doing what got us the lead and they showed a lot of heart to come back and counter us with their run,” he said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to counter back. Unfortunately, that shot didn’t go down for me today and it’s an experience I have to learn on.”
Newsome still seethes remembering the missed chance, but he knows that after his 15-point, 7-assist, and 4-rebound outing in Game 4, he can atone for his miscues come Sunday for Game 5.
“It’s definitely a missed opportunity,” he said. “Now, we’re even. It’s better to look at it as the series is tied, so technically, we’re not down. They might have a little bit of momentum with this win, so it’s up to us to make some adjustments to come back for Game 5.”