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MIXERS LIGHTNING STRIKES BOLTS
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SAN Mig Coffee made a couple of breaks go a long way in realizing an immediate goal Wednesday.
A fresher Denzel Bowles and a James Yap getting some respite from his back problems translated into a huge performance by the two in leading the Mixers to a 90-82 victory over Meralco and into the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Marc Pingris also came up big in the fourth quarter, leaving his indelible print on the win that enabled San Mig to wrap up the best-of-three quarterfinals duel despite falling into a daunting 0-1 deficit at the start.
Now, the Mixers are set to face eliminations topnotcher and early qualifier Alaska in a best-of-five semis that start Saturday, also at the Big Dome.
“We’re just happy to be in the semis,” said San Mig coach Tim Cone before offering his own view of what to expect against a team he has beaten eight times in as many meetings.
“That doesn’t meant anything going to a playoff game,” pointed out Cone. “True, there’s a little bit of confidence going up against them. But I don’t think that anybody in our team does not feel like this is going to be a tough, down-the-wire series.”
The Mixers already had a dose, although a close finish did not turn out against Meralco after the Bolts went scoreless in the last eight minutes of the decider after missing all 11 field goal attempts and committing six turnovers.
“It seems like they got a little tired in the end, especially (Eric) Dawson,” said Cone. “Dawson’s a great import, a great player. But when Denzel went out with a hit it was a blessing in disguise. Denzel got six or seven minutes of unnatural rest.”
Bowles received a cut just below the corner of his right eye due to a wayward elbow by a driving Reynel Hugnatan and had to have it stitched up in the last 7:22 of the second quarter. That set him up to playing the entire second half.
“(Meralco) Coach Ryan (Gregorio) was matching Dawson to Denzel. With his rest, I was able to play Denzel the whole second half.”
Bowles wound up with 23 points and 11 rebounds and, more important, was able to patrol the paint and intimidate.
Yap, averaging just 7.0 points in the series, wound up with 20 points, three rebounds and as many assists while playing 30 minutes.
The two-time MVP said he used the respite following a 100-92 win in Game 2 to receive treatment for his back, including an ultrasound session Tuesday evening.
“Tinrabaho ng dalawang araw para sa game na ito. Therapy, kagabi pumunta pa sa ultrasound, chiro after. Kumbaga iniisip ko, wala ng bukas. Bahala na kung ano mangyari,” related Yap, who is set to undergo magnetic resonance imaging tests on his back Thursday.
“It was good to have James out there finally, playing at a high level, moving better,” said Cone.
Pingris also stepped up big-time with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists while anchoring the defense that held Dawson scoreless in the fourth quarter while scoring eight of his own.
Dawson had gamehighs of 24 points, 16 rebounds and three steals. But he went 0-for-4 from the floor in the final 12 minutes.
“They just missed some shots,” said Cone. “We defended well, but they still had some open shots, makeable shots. They just missed them.”
Mark Cardona had 19 points and seven rebounds and Chris Ross a near-triple double of 13 points, nine re3bounds and eight assists, but the Bolts still got struck by the former Purefoods team’s lightning for the second straight edition of the tourney to wind up seventh.
Last year, Cone’s crew then known as B-Meg overcame a similar series deficit and went on to win the title.
It’s not that Meralco did not have its chances, razing an early 15-point deficit to engage San Mig through seven deadlocks and five lead changes.
But after Ross drained a shotclock-beating triple to make it an 82-79 count, 8:02 left, the Bolts suffered a veritable power outage with their main option, Dawson, going silent.
Bowles’ three-point play knotted the score at 82 before Pingris strung up six straight to give the Mixers an 88-82 spread. They would not score again until Joe Devance connected in the final 22 seconds, but the victory was secure in the face of the Bolts’ endgame struggles. (NC)
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EDITORS' PICK
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