Meralco took advantage of Bol Bol’s exit and came away with the 87-67 victory over TNT to tie things up in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semis Friday night.
The 7-foot-3 big man left the Mall of Asia Arena due to a suspected Achilles tear on his left foot that reduced the Tropang 5G to an all-local lineup, and the Bolts would go on to climb back into the match before unleashing a strong finish.
Marvin Jones himself benefitted from not having a counterpart most especially in the endgame, striking the dagger triple for the 85-76 lead with 59 seconds remaining to seal the deal and send the race-to-4 series at one game apiece.
Chris Newsome led Meralco with 24 points, with Jones coming through with 16 points and 13 rebounds as he finally managed to beat an import-less opponent–something they couldn’t do against Rain or Shine in the eliminations.
Javee Mocon also had 16 points with five rebounds while Cliff Hodge delivered a double-double of his own with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
