Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) – The Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots kept the top spot of the PBA Governors’ Cup team standings after edging the Meralco Bolts, 88-85, on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Mike Harris finished with monster numbers of 30 points and 22 rebounds, capping his efforts with the game-winning basket for the Hotshots, who are now at 8-1.
“They had many transition points in the first half and we had many turnovers. But we did a good job in executing the pace in the second half,” said Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero.
The Bolts commanded the lead in most of the first half, looking to share the top spot with the Hotshots in the team standings.
But late in the third quarter, Magnolia finally got the lead with Adrian Wong and Mark Barroca converting their inside and long-range baskets for a 68-66 advantage after 36 minutes of action.
The Hotshots controlled the game in the fourth quarter, but the Bolts were determined to steal the victory as Allein Maliksi nailed a three-point shot for an 85-86 deficit with 42 seconds remaining in the game.
After the timeout, Magnolia turned to Harris, who executed a driving layup with 32 seconds left.
Meralco had some wasted shot opportunities from Maliksi and Chris Newsome in the final seconds, as they fell to a joint third place tie with Alaska in the team standings with a 6-3 record.
“Good thing, we executed very well in the fourth quarter, especially in our defense,” added Victolero, who lauded his players’ grit despite a lineup without Calvin Abueva and Ian Sangalang.
Tony Bishop led the Bolts in scoring with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Newsome contributed 18 markers. Maliksi and Chris Banchero added 13 points apiece for the Norman Black-mentored team.
The Scores:
MAGNOLIA 88 – Harris 30, Lee 16, Jalalon 10, Barroca 10, Wong 10, Reavis 6, Corpuz 4, Escoto 2, Brill 0, Ahanmisi 0, Dionisio 0
MERALCO 85 – Bishop 19, Newsome 18, Banchero 13, Maliksi 13, Almazan 6, Hodge 5, Caram 5, Black 4, Belo 2, Quinto 0
Quarterscores: 11-23, 36-47, 68-66, 88-85
