Bolts bomb Texters, lead 2-1

MANILA, Philippines - Meralco lit up the board with a franchise-record 17 three-pointers, including five from an unlikely source in Reynel Hugnatan, as the Bolts stunned the TNT KaTropa Texters, 119-113, for a second straight time to move on the brink of a first PBA Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

With just a total of 12 treys in his first 12 seasons in the pros, Hugnatan surprised just about everybody with a 5-of-6 three-point clip, leading a host of Meralco players that essayed a special performance to send the Bolts 2-1 up versus the Texters in their Governors Cup best-of-five semifinal series.

“He was given the green light to shoot as far back as the second conference. I didn’t know he’s a great shooter until we let our big guys take outside shots. He usually takes a shot from top of the key. Today, he made a lot from the side,” said Meralco coach Norman Black of the former University of Manila stalwart who finished with a total of 21 points.

In the absence of the injury-hit Jared Dillinger, Jimmy Alapag, rookie Chris Newsome, Cliff Hodge and Baser Amer were the other Meralco locals who picked up the slack, helping Allen Durham carry the Bolts into the doorstep of the best-of-seven finale.

“We got contributions from so many people and we needed all those contributions to get this win,” said Black. “We caught TNT on our good night. We played very, very well and matched all they did offensively and defensively. We’ve got over the hump in a way.”

But Black said they would need the same special effort to complete a conquest of TNT and realize a dream of finally making the PBA finals.   

“Why not think big. That’s what we’re doing now,” said Black, a champion coach in his three previous teams in San Miguel Beer, Sta. Lucia Realty and TNT itself.

Also with a 2-1 series lead, Barangay Ginebra tries to deliver the kill on titleholder San Miguel Beer in Game Four of their own semis face-off at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the same venue.

“Closing out an opponent in a series is always hard. Closing out an opponent like SMB will be incredibly tough, almost hard to imagine,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone. “But we are determined as we know the danger of having to go to a Game Five with them. We need to go all out.”

The Bolts, who have never gone past the semis since joining the league in 2011, take their first of two cracks at the finale at 7 p.m. tomorrow, also at the Big Dome.

As always, Durham was rock solid, coming away with 23 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and one steal, but the Meralco locals proved to be the real key with their 17-of-28 three-pointers.

Alapag, Hodge and Jonathan Uyloan accounted for three each, Amer knocked in two while Durham added one as they outgunned the TNT side that terribly missed the absence of injury-stricken shooters Michael Madanly (with back spasm) and Ryan Reyes (viral infection).

Before this game, Meralco only had 11 treys at its best in a game in the season.

Newsome also played a special part with a 16-point outing highlighted by back-to-back thunderous jams at the height of a fiery exchange in the fourth.

Twenty-four hours after a thriller of a duel between Ginebra and San Miguel, the Bolts and the Texters figured in a nerve-wracker of their own, with the former prevailing on vital plays by Hugnatan, Alapag, Newsome, Hodge and Durham at the finish.