Jerrick Ahanmisi caught fire from beyond the arcs as Magnolia prolonged the agony of a luckless Terrafirma, 124-103, to get back on track in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup, Sunday evening at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The 26-year-old went 4-of-8 from four paired with two triples for a career-high 24 points as he starred in the Hotshots’ early breakaway on the way to redeeming themselves from a tough 82-88 loss to TNT last Thursday.
“I told them before the start, during the preparations, that all failures or setbacks, [ang] importante is how we bounce back,” said head coach Chito Victolero.
Ahanmisi became the first to hit that many four-pointers in a game, needing very little time to get hot as evidenced by his 14 markers in just the first half.
The Adamson product scored 10 of those points in the second quarter alone to help his crew erect a 63-32 lead entering the halftime intermission.
He then scored another 10 in the final chapter, including seven straight – a four from the right wing and then a three from the left pocket – to start the period and stretch their lead to 93-64 with 11:11 on the clock.
“Sabi nga ni Jerrick, it’s all about hard work. Actually kami pa nga pumipigil diyan minsan, kasi early morning he will shoot, then after practice shooting pa rin,” said Victolero. “We want him to rest … pero ‘di namin mapigil eh.”
Glenn Robinson III made his presence felt as well with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Zav Lucero had 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Ian Sangalang supplied 14 points, all in the first half, with six rebounds. Paul Lee was just an assist shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine dimes.
Meanwhile, Joseph Eriobu added 12, including a four-pointer late in the game.
Magnolia (2-2) will look to build its first streak of the season as it battles NorthPort on Wednesday, September 4, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Stanley Pringle, meanwhile, had 23 points, while Christian Standhardinger had a 22-12-5 line for Terrafirma, who fell to 0-4 in Group A.
Rookie Paolo Hernandez added 18 markers for a side that lost main man Juami Tiongson and shooting big Kemark Carino because of injuries.
The Dyip will look to break through versus Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and reigning champions TNT on Thursday, September 5, still at NAS.
The Scores:
Magnolia 124 – Ahanmisi 24, Robinson III 20, Lucero 15, Sangalang 14, Lee 13, Eriobu 12, Balanza 7, Barroca 6, Laput 6, Dionisio 4, Abueva 3, Mendoza 0, Reavis 0, Dela Rosa 0, Alfaro 0.
Terrafirma 103 – Pringle 23, Standhardinger 22, Hernandez 18, Sangalang 9, Ramos 9, Ferrer 7, Hanapi 7, Cahilig 6, Hester 2, Tiongson 0, Olivario 0, Carino 0.
Quarterscores: 34-13, 63-32, 86-64, 124-103.
