THE Meralco Bolts lost their top playmaker and scorer Chris Newsome in the early part of the fourth period, but the rest of the team rallied to overcome the Magnolia Hotshots and force a sixth game in the series on Friday.

With their conference on the line, the Bolts made up for the absence of Newsome with more than seven minutes left in the game as Allein Maliksi and Nard John Pinto towed their team to a 102-98 win in Game Five of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Wednesday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.