Paul Lee starred anew as Magnolia turned back Meralco, 92-78, to take a 2-0 lead in the 2021 Honda PBA Philippine Cup semifinals Wednesday at the DHVSU Gym.
The 2018 Governors’ Cup Best Player of the Conference fired 28 points on 50-percent shooting, 17 of which he made in the first half that saw him steer the Hotshots from a 12-point deficit.
He sank one of his five three-pointers just before the halftime break, a shot to cap off an 11-0 run that gave his side a 38-36 lead — which was all they needed to secure the driver’s seat all the way to the end.
“Sobrang nakaka-proud ‘yung team namin dahil talagang nakita namin ‘yung game plan na pinaghandaan namin itong game na ‘to,” said Lee.
It wasn’t all about the 32-year-old guard, though, as center Ian Sangalang also made his presence felt in the victory with 16 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double performance this conference.
Then, of course, there’s also BPC frontrunner Calvin Abueva with 11 markers and 11 boards, together with three assists, a steal, and a block.
“It’s a team effort, ‘yung ginawa namin. And I’m very happy, very proud of my players because of the commitment na binibigay nila sa depensa namin at sa effort na binibigay nila,” said head coach Chito Victolero.
Magnolia actually caught a break when Meralco big men Raymond Almazan and Cliff Hodge both left in the third quarter due to different reasons.
Almazan suffered an ankle injury at the 8:10-mark following an awkward landing off a rebound play. Hodge, meanwhile, got ejected for a flagrant foul penalty one infraction against Abueva with 1:22 left.
An F1 usually merits a three-minute stay on the bench, but the veteran bruiser got booted out as he previously received a technical foul.
Hodge and Abueva also had an encounter with 9:04 remaining in the same period, when the former got hit in the groin area by the latter as they were jockeying for position for a rebound near the rim.
“Of course, it’s a big factor. They are key players eh. It’s a break sa amin,” Victolero admitted. “But of course hindi naman kami doon naka-focus. Alam namin na kahit sino sa Meralco can step up eh.”
Chris Newsome led Meralco with 18 points in the defeat. Nards Pinto and veteran forward Reynel Hugnatan had 12 markers apiece.
Game Three is on Friday at 3:00 p.m.
The Scores:
Magnolia 92 – Lee 28, Sangalang 16, Abueva 11, Dela Rosa 8, Reavis 6, Melton 6, Barroca 4, Corpuz 4, Jalalon 4, Dionisio 3, Pascual 2.
Meralco 78 – Newsome 18, Pinto 12, Hugnatan 12, Quinto 7, Belo 7, Maliksi 7, Almazan 6, Caram 4, Hodge 3, Jose 2, Pasaol 0, Baclao 0.
Quarterscores: 13-13, 38-36, 64-58, 92-78.
