Magnolia disconnects Meralco, gains twice-to-beat

MANILA, Philippines — Magnolia snapped a four-game losing skein on the road as it dished out an overpowering performance versus a badly depleted Meralco side to claim an emphatic 94-65 victory and a twice-to-beat quarterfinals incentive in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Xavier U Gym in Cagayan de Oro last night.

The Hotshots built momentum in the second quarter and went roaring in the final half of this Petron Blaze road tiff to write finis on the Bolts’ playoff bid and book a second-place finish behind San Miguel Beer in the single-round-robin elims.

Even with still a game to play versus Rain or Shine Wednesday at the MOA Arena, San Miguel is assured of top playoff seeding.

The Beermen and the Hotshots both enjoy a crucial twice-to-beat advantage as they tangle with the eighth and the seventh seeds, respectively, in the quarterfinals.

Meralco, the Governors Cup losing finalist, is out of the Final Eight with a 4-7 windup in the elims. Kia was the first casualty with a 1-10 slate.

Alaska Milk (7-4), NLEX (6-4), Rain or Shine (5-4), Barangay Ginebra (5-5), GlobalPort (5-5), Blackwater (5-6), Phoenix Petroleum (4-6) and TNT KaTropa (4-6) jockey for position behind the Top Two. The top four among these teams figure in a pair of best-of-three showdowns, with the next two grabbing the last two playoff berths.

With hometown hero Jio Jalalon with Gilas Pilipinas in Manila, Paul Lee stepped forward and made a show for the Cagayan de Oro fans.

Limited to three points in the first half, Lee came out firing in the second half and set the tone of Magnolia’s breakaway victory – a vengeful one against the very team that swept them in the best-of-five semifinals in the last Governors Cup.

Lee poured in 18 points in the final half, including an amazing basket on a drive then two triples that ignited their decisive surge in the third.

The Hotshots sat on a 68-48 cushion at the end of the third. And they maintained a huge lead through the final canto with the Magnolia reserves also doing a good job.

Also on the firing end were Ian Sangalang (12) and Robert Herndon  (10).