MANILA, Philippines, December 11 ------ The Magnolia Hotshots stretched their undefeated run to seven games in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup after surviving a gutsy challenge from the shorthanded San Miguel Beermen, 94-90, at the PhilSports Arena. Fresh from a 26-point, 22-rebound performance against the Blackwater Bossing last Wednesday, December 6, Magnolia’s super import Tyler Bey picked up where he left off and recorded another monster double-double of 31 points and 21 rebounds.
James Laput backstopped Bey and made his presence felt inside the paint against the June Mar Fajardo-less Beermen with 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Jio Jalalon delivered a double-double of 11 markers and 11 boards. With Magnolia already on top by its largest at 10 points, 90-80, at the 2:38 mark of the fourth quarter, San Miguel refused to give up and unloaded an 8-0 blast, capped by a Jericho Cruz triple, to trim the Beermen’s lead to just a single possession, 90-88.
Aris Dionisio ended Magnolia’s drought with two free throws, before San Miguel import Ivan Aska responded with a quick basket to pull the Beermen back within just 2 points, 92-90, with 8 ticks left. Unfortunately for the Beermen, their late-game comeback attempt fell short as Dionisio once again sank two crucial charities in the next play to ice the game for Magnolia. Dionisio came up with 10 points, while Mark Barroca also added 10 for the Hotshots. Aska topscored for San Miguel with 29 points, while Cruz and Mo Tautuaa chipped in 16 and 12, markers respectively. CJ Perez had a forgettable performance for the Beermen as he scored just 4 points on an awful 1-of-15 clip from the field. With its second straight loss, San Miguel, which also played without Terrence Romeo and Jeron Teng due to injuries, dropped to an even 3-3 record.
Meanwhile, the Meralco Bolts picked up their third straight victory and snapped the NorthPort Batang Pier’s three-game winning streak with a 125-99 blowout win. In only his first PBA game, import Zach Lofton wasted no time in putting on a show for the Bolts as he erupted for 54 points on 17-of-29 shooting, including a 9-of-19 clip from beyond the arc.
Source: rappler.com
Comments