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Meralco Bolts zap Pingris-less San Mig Super Coffee Mixers

Meralco gave San Mig Super Coffee a perfect dose of its own medicine and earned a fitting reward.

Working behind a dominant second half performance, the Bolts compounded the woes of the struggling Mixers with a convincing 88-78 victory Monday night to seize solo fourth spot in the PBA Commissioners Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

After losing momentum in the second canto while staring at a 39-41 deficit at the break, the Bolts unloaded a telling 18-2 onslaught to start the third canto then took control for good behind their sustained defensive stance to pile up more misery on the depleted Mixers side.

Import Darnell Jackson banged in a double-double outing of 31 points and 18 rebounds while locals Jared Dillinger (21 markers) and Gary David (18) provided the usual numbers that enabled Meralco to gain a fitting follow-up to a 105-98 win over Barako Bull last Friday and finished its eliminations campaign with a 5-4 mark.

With ace forward Marc Pingris and key reserve Justin Melton sidelined by their respective injuries, reinforcement James Mays carried most of the offensive load with a game-high 33 points but did not get ample support from the other Mixers, causing them to suffer their second straight loss and fifth overall in their last five games while dropping to an even 4-4 card.

Visibly pumped up coming from their dugout, David, Dillinger and Jackson teamed up in the Bolts’ swashbuckling start in the third canto, scoring all but two of the first 20 points in the first five minutes that saw them build a quick 57-43 as the Mixers fired brick after another.

San Mig Super Coffee, however, showed some signs of life as the likes of Mays, Alex Mallari, Mark Barroca and hobbling James Yap sparked a counterattack that enabled them to move within 58-64 late in the third canto.

But that proved to be the Mixers’ final hurrah as the Bolts clamped down defensively anew and restored their lead back to 77-63, capped by David’s alley-oop feed to Jackson who threw one down with less than five minutes left to play.
 
The Main Man: Bolts import Darnell Jackson dominated anew and more than held his own against Mixers counterpart James Mays while getting enough lift from Meralco locals.
 
Honorable Mentions: Serving as Jackson’s primary backup were top guns Jared Dillinger and Gary David, who shone offensively while stymieing San Mig stars James Yap and PJ Simon no end.
 
Game Turning Point: Clicking on both ends, the Bolts pulled away for good from the Mixers when they unloaded a jarring 18-2 run that turned a two-point halftime deficit into a quick 57-43 lead, setting up the stage for a masterful finish.
 
He Said It:
Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio: We wanted to put our spirit to the test against the champion team. We were rewarded by a victory because of our efforts on both ends.”
 
The scores:

MERALCO 88 - Jackson 31, Dillinger 21, David 18, Hugnatan 6, Sena 4, Timberlake 2, Guevarra 2, Wilson 2, Hodge 2.

SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE 78 - Mays 33, Simon 13, Mallari 12, Yap 8, Devance 4, Barroca 4, Cawaling 2, Reavis 2, De Ocampo 0, Sangalang 0.

Quarters: 26-18, 39-41, 66-58, 88-78