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It was a tight game down to the final 41 seconds when Meralco's Allen Durham tied the count 100-all via a lay-up.
Harris, who finished with 31 points, 24 rebounds and 7 assists, completed a 3-point play that gave the Aces a 103-100 cushion with 16 seconds to go.
Durham then barreled his way into the paint to cut the deficit by 1 with 11 ticks remaining. They bought some time by fouling Harris, but the latter split his charities and the Aces barred all of the Bolts’ remaining attempts to walk away with a 2-1 series lead.
“God is good, we knew it was going to be a dog fight. That's a very good team over there,” said Harris, who also got plenty of help from the Alaska locals.
“They (Meralco) came out the way they’re supposed to… It's playoff basketball... my guys fought, man, we busted our butts.”
Other key Alaska contributors were Simon Enciso who finished with 17 points including 4 triples, while Chris Banchero had 17 points. Noy Baclao added 11 markers.
Durham ended up with 37 points. Reynel Hugnatan was also splendid for the Bolts with 19 points and 4 treys.
It was a thrilling game that saw several lead changes, especially in the fourth quarter.
But Meralco’s efforts were not enough as Alaska took a step closer to the finals.
“That was a huge game... that was an excellent basketball game played by both teams. That's one of the games nobody deserved to lose. Incredible heart on both sides,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton.
The scores:
Alaska 104 - Harris 31, Enciso 17, Banchero 17, Baclao 11, Manuel 8, Casio 7, Thoss 6, Cruz 4, Racal 3, Exciminiano 0, Potts 0.
Meralco 102 - Durham 37, Hugnatan 19, Newsome 18, Amer 11, Caram 4, Faundo 4, Salva 3, Dillinger 3, Lanete 3, Canaleta 0, Tolomia 0.
Quarters: 25-22, 47-53, 75-74, 104-102.
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