Luigi Trillo urges balanced whistle as Meralco eyes response after Game 1 collapse vs TNT

For Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo, Game 1 of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals offered two hard truths—one internal, the other systemic.

The Bolts’ stunning 100-95 loss to TNT on Sunday was first and foremost a missed opportunity. After building a commanding 21-point lead in the first half, Meralco failed to sustain its intensity, allowing the Tropang 5G to claw their way back and steal the series opener.

Still, as Trillo reviewed the game, the conversation quickly shifted beyond execution and into the flow of the officiating.

The numbers told a jarring story. TNT went to the line 47 times, while Meralco managed just 19 free-throw attempts—a 28-shot disparity that Trillo believes had a significant impact on the outcome. The imbalance became even more pronounced down the stretch, with the Bolts taking only two free throws in the fourth quarter compared to TNT’s 10.

“Give credit to their physicality,” said Trillo, referring to TNT. “But again, they were awarded 17 free throws in the third quarter. End of the third, the foul calls were 24-12. At the end of the game, it was 31-17.

“I think our team is not that bad at playing defensively,” Trillo said after the 100-95 loss on Sunday when the Bolts blew a 52-31 advantage in the second quarter.

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PULLING THE MAIN SWITCH

TNT Tropang 5G find the right connection late in the second half to pull the win from the Meralco Bolts, taking the lead in the best-of-seven semifinal series of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup!#PBA50 #PBA50LID pic.twitter.com/2BoN7VSdvc

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) January 4, 2026

“We are at fault. We didn’t match their intensity. But when you give a team 47 free throws, and it magically goes there, the PBA has to also look at the referees and check if they are making the right calls consistently for both teams.”

Beyond the raw numbers, Trillo also pointed to moments he felt swung momentum away from Meralco—particularly drives by Chris Newsome that went unwhistled and a technical foul assessed on active consultant Nenad Vucinic late in the third quarter.

“New (Chris Newsome) is going to the basket, he is getting bumped and they were not making a call. But when these guys (TNT) drive, there is an automatic foul. When you look at the flopping, they called us for flopping, [Rey] Nambatac flopped, [RR] Pogoy flopped.”

“A bad word was said by Oftana… there was no technical foul. Our active consultant says something, and he gets called for a T. All I’m saying is let’s be consistent with the calls. If somebody says a bad word, give a technical.

“If we are being called for those bump fouls, then we have to analyze that. I’m just saying what I saw. I have to check on the video,” said Trillo.

Despite the pointed remarks, Trillo stopped short of placing the blame solely on officiating. He emphasized that Meralco’s biggest task heading into Game 2 is fixing what it can control—execution, composure, and matching TNT’s physical approach for a full 48 minutes.

“Certainly, we need to be better. This is a champion team and they are playing better the last three conferences. Our hands are going to be full,” said Trillo.

As the series shifts deeper into its grind on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, Meralco will be looking not just for a more even whistle—but for a sharper, tougher version of itself to avoid falling into a deeper hole against a battle-tested TNT side.

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