Meralco, Alaska shoot for pivotal 2-1 lead

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Will Alaska Milk come back with enough energy to apply defensive pressure in full four quarters? Or will Meralco come out swinging, slugging and scoring?

The Aces and the Bolts slug it out in what could well be another defense-versus-offense battle, disputing the pivotal 2-1 lead in their side of the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five semifinal showdown Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Meralco broke Alaska’s defensive wall on Jared Dillinger’s outside sniping and Chris Newsome’s penetrations in the fourth quarter as the Bolts came from behind to pull off a 92-87 decision and forge a 1-1 tie in the series Wednesday.

“We’ve got to make the outside shots. We’ve got to shoot without hesitation as they’re really loading up on Arinze (Onuaku),” said Dillinger, saving the Bolts from falling to a 0-2 hole on his 13-point fourth-quarter explosion in Game Two.

The Bolts bled for their points through the first three quarters before finding a way to break Alaska’s lockdown defense and subsequently avenge their 94-97 loss in Game One.

“We have to make our outside shots to open up the floor,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.

Alaska coach Alex Compton made no excuses saying the Bolts made the right plays while the Aces broke down in the crunch.

“They executed down the stretch and really more than anything, they made the shots down the stretch. Our transition defense was poor and our rotation was late,” said Compton.

But even with the Game Two defeat, the Aces aren’t expected to deviate from their ploy – keep the defensive pressure all the way.

They were successful with that Monday where they forced the Bolts to 22 errors, leading to a crucial 28-18 advantage on points from turnovers and to the three-point win in the series opener.

On Monday, the Aces did a good job particularly on Onuaku whom they forced to commit four errors and held to measly 11 points.

But as Dillinger, Newsome and Reynel Hugnatan found their marks Wednesday, Onuaku also found some opening, leading to a solid all-around game marked by 22 markers, 14 boards and six assists.

“I have to give a lot of credit to JD (Dillinger) for opening up the defense by hitting his outside shots. Chris Newsome scored on layups that also helped break the defensive lane,” said Black shortly after Game Two.

The one-time grandslam-winning coach also lauded their import for sticking in the game despite the double- and triple-teaming defense that he faced all game long.

“Arinze’s much more effective,” said Black.

Dillinger proved to be the biggest key with his 13-point fourth-quarter explosion capped by back-to-back treys that carried Meralco ahead to stay at 88-84.

Finding the opening on Alaska’s constant helping defense on Onuaku, Dillinger drained five-of-10 three-pointers on the way to a personal conference high of 20 points.

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