ANTIPOLO — Calvin Abueva wrote history in helping Magnolia beat the also-ran Blackwater, 110-95, to make one last push for their Top Four aspirations in the PBA Governors’ Cup, Wednesday at the Ynares Center here.
The ‘Beast’ finished with 27 points, eight of which he made in the first quarter alone to become the latest member of the league’s 5,000-point club — four months after becoming the 50th player to collect 1,000 offensive rebounds.
It was a vintage outing for the two-time BPC overall as he also netted 13 rebounds, two assists, a steal, and two blocks, owning the day much to the team’s delight for he enabled his side to finish the eliminations at 7-4.
“Malaking bagay,” said Abueva of yet another milestone. “Pero mas malaking bagay ‘yung effort kung yung team mo makakapunta sa top.”
Other Hotshots shone in the W as well, with Antonio Hester registering his first PBA career 20-20 with 22 points and 20 rebounds.
Russel Escoto came through with a career-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while Rome Dela Rosa added 14 markers in their bounce-back of sorts after barely escaping Terrafirma in OT the last time out.
“We learned a lot from our mistakes from the last game,” said head coach Chito Victolero. “Lagi namin pinapaalala na without effort, we will have a hard time winning. This time I think we’re very consistent doon sa effort.”
The win was by no means easy, though. Magnolia saw what was once a 24-point lead become just six, 95-89, past the midway mark of the fourth when Blackwater rallied behind the tandem of JVee Casio and Baser Amer.
Luckily for them, Abueva was there to help restore order, sparking a mini-run that gave the squad a 105-91 advantage approaching the last three minutes, and the Hotshots went on to cruise to the 15-point triumph.
“Pinahirapan kami ng Terrafirma. ‘Yung recovery namin, parang ang tagal i-sink sa isip namin na bakit nangyari yun. This time, ginawa namin paano namin mae-execute and made-depensahan ‘tong Blackwater,” said Abueva.
Shawn Glover, on the other hand, had 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists for the Bossing, who were the first to get booted out of contention.
Casio made 20 points and 10 assists, Amer had 16 points on four triples, while Ato Ular added 12 and 10 for Blackwater, who finished the conference 1-10.
The Scores:
Magnolia 110 – Abueva 27, Hester 22, Escoto 17, Dela Rosa 14, Lee 9, Dionisio 8, Barroca 6, Jalalon 4, Corpuz 3, Ahanmisi 0, Wong 0.
Blackwater 95 – Glover 22, Casio 20, Amer 16, Ular 12, Sena 6, Hill 6, Ayonayon 6, Ilagan 5, Suerte 2, Torralba 0, Rosario 0, Banal 0.
Quarterscores: 32-20, 48-45, 87-66, 110-95
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
