Clint Chapman proved to be the breath of fresh air Magnolia badly needed as the traditional contenders finally ended its struggles in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup by beating Macau, 121-109, on Saturday evening.
The well-travelled big man actually scored the game’s first basket and that served as a prelude to a solid debut, finishing with 39 points and 15 rebounds to power the Hotshots to their first win after a 0-3 start into the midseason joust.
Hardly needing time to adjust at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, the 37-year-old already scored 11 points in the opening period, although it wasn’t until the third canto where he’d catch fire to lead the breakaway from a 52-51 halftime lead.
Chapman scored 14 points in a 19-3 assault–the first 12 of which came from him–toward a 71-54 advantage with about six minutes remaining.
A former FIBA WASL import like his predecessor in Nuni Omot, the former Texas Longhorn shot an efficient 15-of-26 from the floor, including two threes, and also went 7-of-10 from the free throw line in the 32 minutes he played.
It was by no means an easy victory, however, as Macau rallied back and imposed a major threat when the guest team tied things up at 94-all behind a booming trifecta by Phoenix Shackelford with 5:37 to go in the fourth.
But the youngsters came through, with Zavier Lucero and Jerom Lastimosa converting a three-point play each for the 100-94 lead with 4:42 to go.
Mark Barroca then helped out with back-to-back baskets, and Chapman made sure to contribute with a floater to beat the shot clock and give themselves a 106-99 lead with 3:01 to go, putting Magnolia in control for good.
