Saudi Gazette MANILA — Meralco's Jared Dillinger banged in 13 of his 20 points' total in the final quarter to lead his team to a resounding 92-87 victory over the Alaska Aces, thus tying the PBA Commissioner's Cup best-of-5 semifinal series at 1-1 Wednesday night. The two teams will break the deadlock when they square off in Game 3 Friday. Import Arinze Onuaku paced Meralco with 22 points, 14 boards and six assists while Chris Newsome added 19 points and eight rebounds. Veteran Reynel Hugnatan chipped in with 15 points while point guard Jimmy Alapag had only three markers but notched a game-high eight assists. With the Bolts staring at a 77-63 deficit with 9:15 left in the final quarter, Meralco unleashed a 17-2 run to seize control of the game, The Aces managed to tie the game at 82-all, but Dillinger knocked down a huge three-pointer from the corner to push the Bolts ahead. Alaska import Rob Dozier scored quickly to cut Meralco's lead to a point, 85-84. But Dillinger was not yet finished with his heroics as he unleashed another triple—his fifth for the night—to give the Bolts a 4-point lead with seconds left in the game. Dozier finished with a game-high 28 points but failed to get enough support from his teammates. Calvin Abueva added 18 markers while Cyrus Baguio and Chris Banchero chipped in with 10 and 9, respectively. Meanwhile, the San Miguel Beermen may play without an import Thursday as they try to avoid elimination in Game 3 of their series against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. SMB import Tyler Wilkerson, who leads the Best Import candidate race, walked out of the Beermen's post game huddle following their heart-breaking 98-96 defeat to Rain or Shine in Game 2. "Take me back to America. I want to go home," the import was overheard saying, according to a sports fan who requested anonymity. Wilkerson, who posted 35 points and 18 rebounds in the SMB loss, was visibly upset after the Beermen fell into a 2-0 hole. Game Thursday: Rain or Shine Elasto Painters vs. San Miguel Beermen (Best-of-5 semifinals; ROS up 2-0).
