Dawson's sizzling performance keys Bolts' drubbing of Blaze Boosters
Add Meralco import Eric Dawson to the PBA’s 50-point club.
Turning the Smart Araneta Coliseum into his own personal playground, the 6-foot-9 Dawson proved to be a one-man wrecking crew, tallying a season-best 57 points and leading the Bolts to a big 102-92 victory over the slumping Petron Blaze Boosters Friday night.
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The gutsy win, which came on the heels of its 103-92 victory over GlobalPort last Mar. 27, enabled Meralco to gain a share of fourth with a 6-5 record alongside its latest victim and idle Barangay Ginebra.
The Boosters got a fair 23-point, 16-board debut showing from import Henry Sims but failed to find an answer against Dawson throughout, resulting to their third straight loss.
MVP: Eric Dawson, no doubt. Already the league’s highest scorer with a game average of 28.6 points, the former Midwestern State University standout played with reckless abandon, displaying his full offensive arsenal to the hilt–dunks, jumpers, put-backs and lay-ups.
Dawson already collected 47 points in the first 36 minutes and finished with an impeccable 20-of-34 shooting from the field plus an efficient 17-of-22 from the free throw line. To boot, he also collected 14 rebounds, four steals and three blocks in a superb 40 minutes of play.
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According to resident league statistician Fidel Mangonon III, the Bolts import repeated the trick served by former Sta. Lucia import Derrick Brown, who torched San Miguel Beer with 57 in a 99-120 loss. The former NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year awardee is the latest member of the 50-point club and first since Air21 import Zach Graham tallied 51 in a 128-121 win over Powerade last June 22 in the Governors Cup.
X-Factor: With Dawson getting most of the Boosters’ attention defensively, veteran forward Reynel Hugnatan of Meralco made Petron pay dearly, scoring six straight points in a 13-0 surge that gave them a comfortable 93-80 lead with four minutes to go. The Bacolod City native also had three rebounds and two assists while providing the toughness in the stretch.
Game Turning Point: After a triple by Marcio Lassiter pulled Petron within one, Meralco tightened its defensive screws while leaning heavily on Dawson and Hugnatan in that blinding 13-to-nothing that broke the game wide open in the last four minutes.
Quotable Quote: “It’s a fantastic game. I’m amazed because I haven’t seen anything like it for a long, long time. I thought Petron did their job defensively but Eric was on fire. He brought us on his shoulders,” stated Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio on their prized import.
The scores:
MERALCO (102) - Dawson 57, Cardona 13, Hugnatan 13, Salvacion 8, Timberlake 4, Vanlandingham 3, Hodge 2, Reyes 2, Ross 0, Buenafe 0.
PETRON (92) - Sims 23, Lassiter 15, Santos 10, Cabagnot 9, Fajardo 8, Washington 8, Lutz 6, Miranda 6, Pena 5, Lanete 2.
Quarterscores: 22-28, 46-47, 75-70, 102-92
SLIDESHOW OF THE GAME:
