Bolts spoil Beermen bid for elims sweep

MANILA, Philippines -- No sweep.

The Meralco Bolts ended San Miguel's 10-game winning streak and dealt the Beermen's first loss in the PBA Philippine Cup, 95-92, to punch a quarterfinal ticket Saturday at the Batangas City Coliseum.

Cliff Hodge had a big double-double for Meralco, finishing with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Allein Maliksi added 19 points.

After trailing by as much as 17 points, the defending champions clawed back, unleashing a 18-4 run to cut the lead to just two, 84-86, with about six minutes remaining.

A mini 5-0 blitz by Chris Newsome and Hodge stopped the bleeding for Meralco, as they went up by seven, 91-84.

The Beermen continued to dig themselves out of the hole, unleashing another 7-2 run capped by a triple by CJ Perez to inch closer, 91-93.

A pair of free throws by Chris Banchero kept San Miguel at bay, 91-95. In the last two minutes, though, the two squads went cold.

After Perez missed a trey that would have slashed the lead to just one, Newsome missed a jumper of his own.

June Mar Fajardo tried to impose his will inside but he was fouled. However, he missed the first and made his second free throw, setting the final score.

A dagger trey by Banchero failed to find its mark with about 45 seconds remaining. Perez forced a foul on the other end, but missed both freebies.

A Maliksi jumper missed, giving the Beermen a window of opportunity to tie.

After Fajardo's attempt from beyond the arc was kicked by Raymond Almazan, Perez had a chance to tie the game, but his long three pointer caromed out.

Newsome had a stellar performance for the Bolts with 17 markers and six dimes.

Fajardo carried the load for San Miguel with a monster double-double of 23 points and 19 rebounds along with four assists.

Don Trollano and Jericho Cruz chipped in 14 apiece, while Perez struggled with just eight.

Meralco ended its elimination round with a 6-5 win-loss record, being the fifth team to clinch a playoff seat, while the Beermen had a 10-1 slate.

The TNT Tropang Giga, the NLEX Road Warriors, the Terrafirma Dyip and the NorthPort Batang Pier are still in contention for the three final playoff seats.