MANILA: The Meralco Bolts sent the Alaska Aces crashing to their second straight defeat with a pulsating 81-78 win Saturday night in a PBA Governor's Cup road game in Tubod, Lanao del Norte. Their second win lifted the Bolts into a tie for the lead with the idle Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Mark Isip once again came through with the winning moves at the homestretch for the Bolts as he snagged an offensive rebound and then sank one of two free throws for the final score. In last Sunday's game against the Petron Blaze Boosters, Isip was the man of the hour, knocking in 28 points as the Bolts began their campaign on a winning note. Alaska clutch shooter LA Tenorio had two chances to win or tie the game but missed two three-point attempts in the last 28 seconds. Tenorio finished with just 7 points. Import Champ Oguchi led Meralco with 28 points, including five triples, four of them in the first quarter when the Bolts surged into an early 14-point lead. Alaska continued to grope for form after trading away its top scorer Joe Devance before the start of the tourney. The Aces tumbled to their second straight loss despite battling a Meralco squad that was missing its injured top gunner Mark Cardona, center Marlou Aquino and point guard Chris Ross. Import Jason Forte led the Aces with 22 points while Cyrus Baguio chipped in with 20 markers.
