ALLAN THE MAN

The Meralco Bolts figured in another defensive slugfest against the San Mig Coffee Mixers, but this time came out on top with a 73-69 victory on Tuesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

With the win, the Bolts tied the series at 1-all. Meralco used a balanced attack to win its first final four game in franchise history, with five players finishing in double-figures. Mario West struggled from the field anew, scoring 17 points but going just 8-of-36 (22 percent) from the field.

Reynel Hugnatan had 15 points and 12 rebounds while Cliff Hodge added 12 and nine for the Bolts, who won despite shooting just above 30 percent from the field.

But Meralco dominated the paint anew, grabbing 20 offensive rebounds to score 10 points. The Bolts won the battle of the boards, 54-47.

“It’s going to be a grind with both teams concentrating on defense,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio. “We just scored enough.”

Sunday Salvacion and Jared Dillinger provided additional firepower for Meralco. Salvacion shot 3-of-6 from beyond the arc to open up the defense, while Dillinger had his best outing since joining the Bolts, finishing with 10 points and four assists while playing three different positions.

Meralco controlled the game from the beginning, taking a 19-8 lead after the opening period.

“They came out flat, so we pounced on them,” said Gregorio.

San Mig Coffee rallied in the second half behind Marqus Blakely, who scored 21 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. But the prolific Mixers import struggled anew from the free throw line, making just 12-of-26 shots for a 46.2 percent clip.

James Yap added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Mixers, who drew little production from its starting local frontline. Neither Marc Pingris nor Joe Devance scored a point in the game and combined for just seven rebounds.

The series resumes on Friday with Game Three at the Big Dome, with Gregorio expecting more of the same.

“It’s gonna be harder from here on,” said Gregorio.

WATCH MERALCO vs SAN MIG COFFEE GAME 2 FUL GAME REPLAY BELOW:

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