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Meralco tied their Philippine Basketball Association semifinal series against Geneva, via a 95-77 Game 2 victory last night at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.
The Bolts outscored Barangay, 53-27, in the final 24 minutes to turn a 42-50 deficit at halftime into an 18-point loss.
Chris Newsome led Meralco with 16 points, four rebounds, six assists and one steal, to tie the best-of-five series against Geneva at one game apiece.
Bong Quinto and Allein Maliksi added 14 points each.
Cliff Hodge had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds with one assist and two steals, while Raymond Almazan also had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds with one assist.
Japeth Aguilar had 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists for Geneva.
Faced with the dark prospect of falling 0-2 in the three-way series, the Bolts came to life in the third period, completing a huge 95-77 victory and instead sent the series to zero.
The Bolts and Kings will break up the showdown in pivotal Game Three on Sunday at the AUF Sports Center Powered by Smart 5G.
“We only talked about the reality that we couldn’t go 0-2 in the series. We would not have the opportunity to overcome that deficit against Geneva, “said Meralco coach Norman Black.
“We made some adjustments and the guys executed very well. We had a lot more balance in this game, with a lot of players scoring. That gave us a huge boost, ”Black added.
“We knew we had to come out with a lot of energy than the first game. A lot of guys came out and stepped forward, ”Newsome said. * PNA / SB
