The Meralco Bolts banked on a hot hands of Jared Dillinger and a huge second half burst to drub the Alaska Aces, 86-70, in Game Four of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semi-finals Monday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Dillinger notched a team-high 17 points including 4-for-10 from three-point area as the Bolts outscored the Aces in the final two quarters, 50-36 to stay alive for a finals spot. Game 5 will be played on Wednesday.
“This game was basically about trying to live to fight another day. I just wanted to see what will happen in Game 5. We got back to the basics as far as defense is concerned,” Meralco head coach Norman Black said.
“We went back to the basics of the defense and it held up for us.”
Dillinger scored nine of his total points in the third period, where the Bolts outscored the Aces 26-18. The wing man capped an 8-0 run to end the third quarter with a 70-foot heave which beat the buzzer and gave the Bolts a 62-52 lead entering the final period.
“My local players stepped up. JD hit some big shots tonight which helped us down the stretch. It was a total team effort but it was really about living to fight another day. Now we (try) to win Game Five,” Black said.
“We will give everything we have in Game Five and we will see what happens.”
The onslaught continued for the Bolts in the payoff period as they went on a 15-4 stretch to take a 77-56 cushion, the game’s biggest advantage for either team.
The Aces were able to cut the deficit down to 79-66 after going on a full-court trap, but a Jimmy Alapag triple with just over two minutes remaining proved to be the dagger.
Arinze Onuaku chipped in 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting, 16 rebounds, four assists, and five blocks while Cliff Hodge also had a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards.
“Arinze (Onuaku) had more energy tonight. He was defintely a force inside the paint as far as defense is concerned and in addition to that, he helped us with the rebounding,” Black added.
The Bolts, which lost by 20 to the Aces in Game 3, 92-72, limited the Aces to just 33 percent shooting. The Bolts also had a 50-39 edge in rebounding, and had eight more assists than the Aces, 19-11.
Import Rob Dozier led the Aces with 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting, adding 15 rebounds. Calvin Abueva and RJ Jazul, however, were the only other Aces in double-digits. The two scored 10 points each but shot 5-for-20 from the field combined.
The Scores:
Meralco (86) – Dillinger 17, Onuaku 16, Hodge 14, Faundo 12, Caram 8, Newsome 7, Alapag 6, Hugnatan 6. Bono 0, Buenafe Ry. 0, Amer 0.
Alaska (70) – Dozier 18, Abueva 10, Jazul 10, Hontiveros 8, Baclao 6, Thoss 6, Banchero 5, Exciminiano 3, Baguio 2, Dela Rosa 2, Dela Cruz 0, Eman 0.
Quarterscores: 19-16, 36-34, 62-52, 86-70.
