Meralco moved one step closer towards a trip to the finals after repeating over Magnolia Pambansang Manok, 101-95, Sunday, March 27 for a 2-1 lead in their PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal series at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Bolts displayed a steady resolve in the second half against the stubborn Hotshots to come away with another hard-fought win that put them on the cusp of a fourth finals appearance in the last five editions of the season-ending conference.
Game 4 is scheduled Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Meralco’s first crack at the reaching the pinnacle of the reinforced tournament.
Import Tony Bishop and Chris Banchero led the charge as Meralco got two chances to see off the top seed Magnolia side.
Bishop had 27 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while Banchero produced 23 points, four rebounds and five assists.
Chris Newsome also stepped up with 16 points including a layup that gave the Bolts breathing room at 97-92 with 39 seconds to go in the fourth, while adding five rebounds and five assists.
Bong Quinto and Allein Maliksi added 10 points apiece.
The Bolts defense, like in Game 2, also contributed to the win as they frustrated the Hotshots, who were dealt with offensive dryspells in the final two quarters.
Paul Lee struggled throughout the game while Mark Barroca and Ian Sangalang couldn’t sustain their first half form for Magnolia.
Magnolia import Mike Harris finished with 24 points and 17 rebounds in a losing effort.
Magnolia led 50-46 at the half and it looked as if it would keep a firm grip of the contest with a pair of six-point leads, the last at 62-56.
But the Bolts put together a 14-2 response and claim a 70-64 lead as the Hotshots, during the latter part of the run, went scoreless for almost five minutes.
The Hotshots did get out of their slump and the two sides carried their seesaw battle into the fourth, with the game’s last tie at 82-all on a three by Magnolia’s Adrian Wong.
Banchero and Maliksi countered with back-to-back triples while Newsome’s three capped off a 13-3 run for a 95-85 lead, 4 1/2 minutes to go in the match.
Seven straight points by Magnolia, the last five from Jalalon, reduced the gap to 95-92 with under a minute to go but Newsome scored a layup off Rome de la Rosa to make it a five-point advantage.
The scores:
MERALCO 101 — Bishop 27, Banchero 23, Newsome 16, Quinto 10, Maliksi 10, Almazan 6, Hodge 4, Baclao 3, Black 2, Belo 0, Caram 0.
MAGNOLIA 95 — Harris 24, Barroca 15, Sangalang 14, Jalalon 13, Abueva 8, Wong 7, Dela Rosa 7, Lee 5, Reavis 2.
Quarters: 24-19, 46-50, 76-72, 101-95.