Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — The San Mig Coffee Mixers barged into the finals of the PBA Governors' Cup Sunday night, using lockdown defense to unplug the Meralco Bolts, 79-73, in Game 4 of their semifinals series at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The trio of Marqus Blakely, James Yap and Marc Pingris played their hearts out to finish off the relentless but outgunned Bolts as the Mixers wrapped up their best-of-five series, 3-1. Blakely finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds and five steals. He also sank two crucial free throws in the endgame to dash Meralco's hope for a miraculous comeback. Yap played his best game in the semifinals, scoring 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Pingris added 16 points and seven rebounds. The Mixers sizzled right from the get-go, racing to a 13-1 lead before finishing the first quarter with a 27-16 edge. Getting energy from import Mario West who suited up despite his shoulder injury, the Bolts kept putting on the pressure, cutting San Mig Coffee's lead to 22-18 at halftime. But San Mig Coffee made another scorching run in the third quarter as Yap and Pingris scored nine points apiece, giving the Mixers another double-digit lead. Led by West, the Bolts fought ferociously in the final quarter, finally coming to within a basket, 75-73, on a Reynel Hugnatan follow-up shot with less than a minute left. But just as they appeared to have seized the momentum, the Bolts suddenly suffered a defensive lapse, allowing Mark Barroca to score on an open undergoal stab to push the Mixers lead back to four points. Blakely added two free throws to ice the game. West led Meralco with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Mac Cardona and Hugnatan added 13 points apiece. Hugnatan also had 12 rebounds. San Mig head coach Tim Cone was all praise for the rivals. “They put us on the edge of our seats. This goes to show how much fighting spirit Meralco has,” Cone said. “Mario West was hurting but they powered through it. When they started with him, we thought he was just a decoy. He was taken out quickly but he played great when he returned,” he added. Cone had nothing but praise for his Meralco counterpart. “Coach Ryan (Gregorio) coached a really, really good game tonight. He coached better than I did,” Cone said. The scores: San Mig 79 – Blakely 23, Yap 19, Pingris 16, Barroca 7, Mallari 4, Devance 4, Acuna 3, Simon 3, Reavis 0. Meralco 73 – West 22, Cardona 13, Hugnatan 13, Ross 9, Dillinger 6, Salvacion 6, Cortez 4, Hodge 0, Wilson 0, Quarters: 27-16, 45-38, 66-56, 79-73.
