Bolts stun Beermen, earn no. 1 spot
Down by 18 points in the first half, the Meralco Bolts made a major comeback as they won 104-101 against the San Miguel Beermen at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Sunday.
Player of the Game, Allen Durham. Photo from PBA Images.
It looked like a win for the Beermen as they dominated during the most parts of the game led by Junemar “The Kraken” Fajardo.
Hammers were given by Terrence Watson and Fajardo to heat up the game, with them are Alex Cabagnot, and Chris Ross who also contributed in making a huge lead of 18 points.
Several turnovers were made by the Bolts that also made them suffer.
Not until the last 2 minutes of the game, when Baser Amer buried a three and evened the game, 98-all.
The Beermen, however, tried to take care of their lead with Ross launching a three, 40.4 seconds left in the game, and forced the Bolts to call for a timeout.
Executing their plan, Allen Durham got the basket, and the lead was back to the Bolts, 102-101.
Nearing the end of the game, Durham got fouled that made him step on the free throw line, and was able to make 2/2 of his free throws.
The last ball possession was with the Beermen, but they were not able to launch their shots that made them lose by only 3 points.
Allen Durham was the key player for the Bolts as he was hailed as the Player of the Game with 35 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The Meralco Bolts will enter the playoffs as the top team—earning the twice-to-beat advantage—against the Blackwater Elite on September 26, Tuesday.
The Beermen, on the other hand, fell down to the 6th spot, and will bounce back against the Ginebra Kings on September 27, Wednesday.
SCORES:
MERALCO 104 — Durham 35, Dillinger 16, Newsome 14, Amer 13, Hodge 8, Tolomia 8, De Ocampo 6, Hugnatan 2, Nabong 2, Lanete 0
SAN MIGUEL 101— Fajardo 26, Lassiter 18, Watson 18, Cabagnot 16, Ross 10, Santos 6, Ganuelas 4, Espinas 3, Pessumal 0
Quarters: 19-32, 39-51, 69-81, 104-101
