Calvin Abueva of Alaska (dark) vs Ryan Buenafe and Sean Anthony of Meralco (light). PBA
MANILA, Philippines — Merciless at the defensive end, Alaska smothered Meralco to an 87-69 win for a semifinals berth in the 2015 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Aces limited the Bolts to just 25 points in the first and never trailed.
Vic Manuel had an efficient night with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field that went with nine rebounds for Alaska, which set up a best-of-seven series with top seed Rain or Shine.
“I think the story of the game is our start. When you hold your opponent to just 25 points in one half, you have a big chance to win. These guys really played hard on defense,” said Alaska head coach Alex Compton.
“I actually expect that to be a great series. I have high respect for them. That’s where I started coaching. And Coach Yeng is one of the greatest coaches in this league,” Compton said on matching up with a rugged Rain or Shine side. “They match up well against us. I expect a lot of games in the series that will come down to the last play. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a deep series.”
Meralco trailed by as much as 22 before coming to within 13, 71-58, after a 3-pointer by Mike Cortez to cap an 8-0 run but the Bolts never really threatened with the Aces keeping their focus on both ends of the floor.
Back-to-back baskets by Manuel followed by a drive by JVee Casio pushed Alaska’s lead back to 19, 77-58, with 7:13 left.
Alaska shot 50% from the field and held Meralco to only 36% shooting. The Aces also forced the Bolts to turn the ball over 19 times.
Cyrus Baguio had a quiet 15-point outing while veteran swingman Dondon Hontiveros added 13.
John Wilson had 16 for Meralco, which booted Grand Slam champion Purefoods in the quarterfinal round last Thursday but couldn’t figure out Alaska.
The Aces ripped the Bolts by 41 points in their first meeting of the season early in the conference.
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