Meralco put on a defensive clinic to shackle the depleted Magnolia by way of a 74-51 result and keep its quarterfinal aspirations very much alive in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup, Sunday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The Bolts gave the Hotshots a dose of their own medicine, limiting the opposition to their all-time fewest points in franchise history en route to their second win in a row.
They also improved to 5-5 in the standings.
Furthermore, the MVP Group-owned franchise has forged a three-way logjam with other 5-5 teams Rain or Shine and Terrafirma at no. 6.
“We played well defensively, guys were on point,” said head coach Luigi Trillo, whose charges held Magnolia to just 21 points in the first half.
“We put ourselves in a better situation now, I think – from no. 3 to 9th. It could be anybody there so we’re knocking each other out. We’re trying to get to the 3 to 6 for that best-of-3 situation,” the champion mentor added.
Raymond Almazan and Chris Newsome finished with 12 points apiece to lead Meralco, with the former adding 11 rebounds to his name.
Newsome delivering that game served as the cherry on top after fears he would be out due to the knee injury he suffered against Phoenix last Friday.
Chris Banchero supplied 11 points while rookie Brandon Bates came through solidly with 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.
The Bolts will try to slay the giant that is the current top seed San Miguel Beer on Saturday, May 4, at the Batangas City Coliseum.
Meanwhile, none from Magnolia finished in double figures in the loss. Ian Sangalang was their top scorer with eight points and 10 rebounds.
The Hotshots did miss the services of Jio Jalalon due to a meniscus issue and Calvin Abueva, who’s out due to an undisclosed injury.
Now at fourth with a 5-4 card, Coach Chito Victolero and Co. will look to sweep their final elimination round games. They first go up against Terrafirma on May 3, then TNT on the 5th to keep their twice-to-beat hopes alive.
The Scores:
Meralco 74 – Newsome 12, Almazan 12, Banchero 11, Bates 10, Caram 9, Quinto 6, Maliksi 4, Black 3, Dario 3, Hodge 2, Pascual 2, Torres 0, Pasaol 0.
Magnolia 51 – Sangalang 8, Laput 6, Dionisio 6, Lee 6, Dela Rosa 5, Barroca 5, Tratter 4, Balanza 4, Escoto 2, Corpuz 2, Eriobu 2, Mendoza 1, Reavis 0.
Quarterscores: 21-14, 35-21, 56-34, 74-51.
