David explodes as Meralco gets back at Alaska

MANILA, Philippines – Gary David continued his stellar play for Meralco, scoring 17 of his 24 points in the second half to propel the Bolts over the Alaska Aces, 74-65 in the PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup on Friday, January 10 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

With the game tied at 40-all, the Gilas Pilipinas shooter drained two triples and scored 10 points in a pivotal third quarter rally that put the Meralco Bolts ahead, 65-51.

The gritty Alaska crew managed to bring down the gap to just 8, 63-71, on an Aldrech Ramos trey with just 3:56 remaining in the match. However, the Bolts managed solid defensive stops in the end–including two highlight blocks by Jared Dillinger–to keep the lead for good.

“We told them to be ready for war. It’s not going to be easy against Alaska, who’s also playing for survival,” said Meralco head coach Ryan Gregorio. “We like this win because of the way we defended.”

Meralco shackled down Alaska to just 65 points, a stark contrast from their first meeting last December 18 where they gave up 91 points in a loss. The Bolts also limited Sonny Thoss, Dondon Hontiveros, and Cyrus Baguio to just 22 points this time, after the trio torched them for 67 in their initial meeting.

David finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in 41 minutes of action while Jared Dillinger added 10 points, 7 assists, and 2 blocks–both coming in the end game that sealed the deal for Meralco.

Alaska once again failed to shoot significantly from beyond the arc, finishing with just an 18.2% (4-of-22) clip that hobbled their cause. JVee Casio led the crestfallen squad with his 15 markers.

Meralco avenged their 91-82 loss to Alaska moved to 5-7 to tie Barako Bull in 5th place. The Aces dropped to 9th with a 4-8 slate.  

The scores:

Meralco (74) – David 24, Dillinger 10, Hodge 10, Hugnatan 9, Salvacion 8, Wilson 7, Artadi 4, Ildefonso 2, Al-Hussaini 0, Guevarra 0.

Alaska (65) – Casio 15, Thoss 14, Espinas 13, Baguio 7, Abueva 6, Ramos 5, Dela Cruz 2, Jazul 2, Hontiveros 1, Eximiniano 0, Eman 0. 

Quarters: 24-17; 40-32; 65-51; 74-65. – Rappler.com