MERALCO held Magnolia to an all-time franchise low and also stoked its drive for a coveted goal by fashioning a lopsided 74-51 victory Sunday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena.
Raymond Almazan bounced back from a so-so game the last time out by notching a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds while Chris Newsome tallied 12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two blocks for the Bolts.
Still, it was undeniably Meralco's stingy defense, coupled with Magnolia's offense sputtering most of the time that resulted in the former racking up a second straight win that boosted its record to an even 5-5 and a clearer path at finishing among the top six.
Magnolia's second straight loss put it at 5-4 and took shape as early as the first 36 minutes of play when it was held to just seven points in the second quarter and 21 points at the break, both league season-lows. The Hotshots also failed to make any headway in the third period, resulting in a 34-point total that is the franchise's lowest.
"I think it was a bit of two things," said coach Luigi Trillo, who cited his players' defensive efforts and the absence of the injured Jio Jalalon and Calvin Abueva as key factors in the game.
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"In the first half 21 points lang sila. I think we played good defense, defensively the guys were on point. Also they're lacking two players. Not to take anything away from us, we played well defensively. But they didn't have Jalalon and Abueva. Those two are big to them," added Trillo.
"But with that being said, also we want to take credit that the players all around did their roles."
Offensive rhythm was one thing Magnolia truly lacked in the game, resulting in its final output that was also the worst in franchise history, eclipsing by two points its previous low set almost19 years ago against Sta. Lucia Realty.
Not even a right knee injury that took out Aaron Black at the 10:09 mark of the third quarter could deter Meralco nor inject life into Magnolia as the difference got stretched to as much as 74-49.
Ian Sangalang and Mark Barroca typified the Hotshots' woes by going scoreless in the first half. They started finding their mark in the third quarter - but just barely.
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Sangalang wound up with eight points and 10 rebounds but was still 11 points shy of his average. Barroca also finished way below his average with just five points following a 1-of-12 field shooting.
While repeatedly failing to buy a basket, Magnolia also committed 18 miscues, which Meralco turned into a 16-9 advantage in turnover points, helping point the Bolts to the all-time lowest points they have allowed in franchise history. (NC)
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.
QUARTERS: 21-14, 35-21, 56-34, 74-51
