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PBA: Meralco off to semis after ousting Alaska

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/sports/11/24/20191124-meralco-alaska.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Meralco&#x27;s Chris Newsome attempts a shot against the Alaska Aces. PBA Media Bureau</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA (UPDATE) -- The Meralco Bolts are headed to the semifinals of the 2019 PBA Governors&#x27; Cup, after a comfortable 94-84 victory over the Alaska Aces, Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.The Bolts were armed with a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals after finishing as the second seed in the elimination round. They did not need it, however, as they took care of the Aces in just one game.It was not an entirely comfortable win for Meralco as they needed to hold off the Aces&#x27; comeback in the second half. Nonetheless, they had built a lead big enough to weather the storm.Meralco will play the winner of the series between TNT and Magnolia in the best-of-5 semifinals. &quot;It was a really tough game,&quot; said Meralco coach Norman Black afterwards. &quot;A lot of credit has to go to Alaska tonight. There were times where I thought we had control of the game, but that didn&#x27;t seem to be the case because Alaska fought back and they gave us a scare in the end.&quot; &quot;It became a foul-shooting contest after a while,&quot; he noted. &quot;Fortunately for us, we made our foul shots down the stretch. It was a really good team effort today.&quot;Black praised the effort of Allein Maliksi, who put up 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, along with import Allen Durham who had a near triple-double of 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists. A hot start gave the Bolts a 29-12 advantage after the opening frame, with Durham and Maliksi taking turns in torching the Alaska defense. Chris Newsome and Baser Amer joined the fray in the second period, and the Bolts led by as much as 22 points, 49-27.Simon Enciso and Frank House sparked the Aces&#x27; comeback in the third quarter. Enciso waxed hot from beyond the arc, and he banked in a three-pointer with over three minutes left that made it a one-possession game, 61-58.But the Bolts ended the quarter strong, with Maliksi and Anjo Caram nailing their three-pointers to keep their team in control. Alaska was still within striking distance, 88-81, with over two minutes to go after a free throw by Abu Tratter. Maliksi, however, slammed the door on their hopes of a comeback: the guard soared for a layup, then scored a putback off a sorry miss by Amer in transition to make it 92-81 for Meralco with just 61 seconds to go.With a semifinals berth secured, Black&#x27;s immediate concern is now the health of center Raymond Almazan. The big man went down with what appeared to be a leg injury with just under five minutes left to play, after going up for a dunk that gave Meralco an 84-77 lead. He had 8 points and 3 rebounds in the game before exiting.JVee Casio led the Aces with 20 points, while Enciso finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. But House, the Alaska import, was limited to just 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting, along with 9 rebounds. Alaska, as a team, shot just 36.7% from the field. <div>The scores: </div>Meralco 94 - Durham 28, Maliksi 23, Newsome 17, Almazan 8, Amer 6, Faundo 4, Caram 4, Quinto 2, Hodge 2, Pinto 0. Alaska 84 - Casio 20, Enciso 16, House 11, Manuel 9, Tratter 7, Herndon 5, Ayaay 5, Thoss 4, Ahanmisi 4, Racal 3, Galliguez 0, Brondial 0.Quarterfinals: 29-12, 49-34, 73-63, 94-84.For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

MANILA (UPDATE) -- The Meralco Bolts are headed to the semifinals of the 2019 PBA Governors' Cup, after a comfortable 94-84 victory over the Alaska Aces, Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

MANILA (UPDATE) -- The Meralco Bolts are headed to the semifinals of the 2019 PBA Governors' Cup, after a comfortable 94-84 victory over the Alaska Aces, Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

PBA: Meralco off to semis after ousting Alaska

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PBA: Meralco off to semis after ousting Alaska

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 24, 2019 06:46 PM PHT

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Updated Nov 24, 2019 08:45 PM PHT

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PBA

PBA Governors' Cup

Meralco Bolts

Alaska Aces

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