MERALCO clinched twice-to-beat advantage in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals after turning back an NLEX comeback, 104-101, on Wednesday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
Meralco vs NLEX recap
The Bolts led by as many as 20 points but had to overcome a late fightback by the Road Warriors before nailing a twice-to-beat incentive in an all-Filipino conference for the first time in franchise history, with one game to spare.
Allein Maliksi and Alvin Pasaol led the early attack by the Bolts, who improved to 8-2 (win-loss) and were guaranteed the No. 2 seed by virtue of their win over third-running Magnolia (8-3) during the elimination round.
Meralco will face Barangay Ginebra on Thursday in a game with little bearing for the Bolts but may determine the playoff fate of the Gin Kings.
Calvin Oftana exploded with 34 points including a late three-pointer that got NLEX within two points with 2.6 seconds to go, but the effort went for naught as the Road Warriors ended the eliminations with a 5-6 card.
Maliksi finished with 22 points including 4 of 6 from threes, and Pasaol had 17 points on 3 of 4 from the perimeter. Mac Belo was also on fire from the outside, converting four threes to finish with 16 points.
“It’s just a game that we wanted to win,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “We know we have a game against Ginebra tomorrow where we might be a little bit tired playing back-to-back games. We felt that this game was the most crucial one and a must-win for us if we want to make the twice-to-beat.”
“The guys just came out and play their hearts out particularly in the first, I would say, 40 minutes of the game. The final eight minutes maybe wasn’t very pretty but at this point of the season, every win counts,” said Black.
NLEX fell to 5-6 and in danger of dropping at No. 7 in the quarterfinals.
The Bolts went on a 10-0 run to claim an 18-7 lead in the first quarter, and a 65-54 halftime advantage with Maliksi pouring on 13 points in the first two quarters.
Raymond Almazan had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Anjo Caram and Bong Quinto chipped in 10 points apiece for Meralco.
The Bolts got a scare as they built a 13-0 run on triples by Oftana. Another triple by Oftana cut the deficit to two points, 103-101, with 2.4 seconds left. Time wasn’t enough though as Almazan split his two free throws, enough to escape with the victory.
While Oftana took over, Jericho Cruz and Kevin Alas struggled as they only combined for five points in the match.
After being under the league’s health and safety protocols last week, Chris Newsome and Cliff Hodge returned for Meralco on Wednesday but Newsome had a short day after being ejected in the 10:38-mark early in the fourth after an altercation with Anthony Semerad.
Newsome and Semerad had a verbal exchange after a physical collision but Newsome was ejected after he threw the ball at Semerad.
The scores:
Meralco 104 – Maliksi 22, Pasaol 17, Belo 16, Almazan 13, Caram 10, Quinto 10, Pinto 8, Jackson 2, Hodge 2, Baclao 2, Jamito 2, Newsome 0.
NLEX 101 – Oftana 34, Alas 14, Quinahan 13, Trollano 9, Ighalo 8, McAloney 7, Paniamogan 6, Semerad 3, Cruz 3, Miranda 2, Alas 2.
Quarters: 30-20; 65-54; 89-74; 104-101.
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