By REYNALD MAGALLON
Meralco banked on its defense and whipped Barangay Ginebra, 93-82, to gain a headstart in their best-of-three quarterfinals race in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, July 24.
The Bolts clamped down on the defensive end while Aaron Black, Allein Maliksi, and Chris Newsome took care of business offensively en route to the convincing Game 1 win and move a win away from eliminating the same team that dealt them so much heartbreak in their past finals appearances.
Black topscored for Meralco with 25 points while Newsome orchestrated the attack with an all-around performance of 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Maliksi provided support with 17 points built on three triples.
The Kings on the other hand struggled on both ends of the floor, failing to contain the Bolts scorers while their own players just couldn’t find the mark against stand-in coach Luigi Trillo’s defensive masterclass. LA Tenorio even went scoreless in 35 minutes of play.
Scottie Thompson was the lone bright spot for Ginebra dropping 29 points and 10 rebounds but got little support from his supporting cast with Christian Standhardinger and Japeth Aguilar being limited to just 12 and 11 points respectively on a combined 10-of-21 shooting from the field.
Meralco seized control of the match in the opening frame when it led, 32-25 at the end of first quarter before padding the lead to 10 at the break 53-43. The telling run for the Bolts however didn’t come until the latter part of the third when Maliksi, Newsome and Chris Banchero unleashed a back-breaking 11-2 finishing kick to pull away for good.
MAGNOLIA DRAWS FIRST BLOOD
In the first game, Magnolia likewise drew first blood in their own series with NLEX by scoring a 98-89 win.
Mark Barroca and Paul Lee anchored the decisive runs in the second frame, allowing the Hotshots to build a double-digit advantage which they never relinquished until the final buzzer despite the repeated rallies from the Road Warriors.
Barroca dropped 18 of his 24 points in the first two quarters – his career-high in the first half and tied for his second most points in a half – on top of seven rebounds and two assists.
Lee, on the other hand, chipped in 13 points and five assists as they combined for 20 in Magnolia’s 40-point output in the second frame which allowed them to build a commanding 17 point lead, 64-47, at the break.
Calvin Abueva provided boundless energy and hustle, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds including the huge steal and breakaway jam late in the fourth to shut the door on the Road Warriors’ comeback hopes.
The scores:
First Game
MAGNOLIA 98 – Barroca 24, Lee 13, Abueva 13, Sangalang 12, Jalalon 10, Corpuz 10, Dela Rosa 6, Wong 5, Dionisio 3, Reavis 2, Escoto 0.
NLEX 89 – Semerad 19, Oftana 15, Trollano 15, Nieto 12, Chua 11, Quinahan 8, Paniamogan 3, Soyud 2, Varilla 2, Ighalo 2.
Quarters: 24-26, 64-47, 81-70, 98-89
Second Game
MERALCO 93 – Black 25, Newsome 19, Maliksi 17, Hodge 10, Quinto 9, Almazan 5, Banchero 4, Pascual 4, Johnson 0, Hugnatan 0, Pasaol 0.
GINEBRA 82 – Thompson 29, Standhardinger 12, Chan 11, J.Aguilar 10, Pinto 8, Pringle 6, Mariano 5, Onwubere 1, David 0, Tenorio 0.
Quarters: 32-25, 53-43, 80-62, 93-82.
Meralco trounces Ginebra in QF opener; Magnolia destroys NLEX
By REYNALD MAGALLON
Meralco banked on its defense and whipped Barangay Ginebra, 93-82, to gain a headstart in their best-of-three quarterfinals race in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, July 24.
The Bolts clamped down on the defensive end while Aaron Black, Allein Maliksi, and Chris Newsome took care of business offensively en route to the convincing Game 1 win and move a win away from eliminating the same team that dealt them so much heartbreak in their past finals appearances.
Black topscored for Meralco with 25 points while Newsome orchestrated the attack with an all-around performance of 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Maliksi provided support with 17 points built on three triples.
The Kings on the other hand struggled on both ends of the floor, failing to contain the Bolts scorers while their own players just couldn’t find the mark against stand-in coach Luigi Trillo’s defensive masterclass. LA Tenorio even went scoreless in 35 minutes of play.
Scottie Thompson was the lone bright spot for Ginebra dropping 29 points and 10 rebounds but got little support from his supporting cast with Christian Standhardinger and Japeth Aguilar being limited to just 12 and 11 points respectively on a combined 10-of-21 shooting from the field.
Meralco seized control of the match in the opening frame when it led, 32-25 at the end of first quarter before padding the lead to 10 at the break 53-43. The telling run for the Bolts however didn’t come until the latter part of the third when Maliksi, Newsome and Chris Banchero unleashed a back-breaking 11-2 finishing kick to pull away for good.
MAGNOLIA DRAWS FIRST BLOOD
In the first game, Magnolia likewise drew first blood in their own series with NLEX by scoring a 98-89 win.
Mark Barroca and Paul Lee anchored the decisive runs in the second frame, allowing the Hotshots to build a double-digit advantage which they never relinquished until the final buzzer despite the repeated rallies from the Road Warriors.
Barroca dropped 18 of his 24 points in the first two quarters – his career-high in the first half and tied for his second most points in a half – on top of seven rebounds and two assists.
Lee, on the other hand, chipped in 13 points and five assists as they combined for 20 in Magnolia’s 40-point output in the second frame which allowed them to build a commanding 17 point lead, 64-47, at the break.
Calvin Abueva provided boundless energy and hustle, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds including the huge steal and breakaway jam late in the fourth to shut the door on the Road Warriors’ comeback hopes.
The scores:
First Game
MAGNOLIA 98 – Barroca 24, Lee 13, Abueva 13, Sangalang 12, Jalalon 10, Corpuz 10, Dela Rosa 6, Wong 5, Dionisio 3, Reavis 2, Escoto 0.
NLEX 89 – Semerad 19, Oftana 15, Trollano 15, Nieto 12, Chua 11, Quinahan 8, Paniamogan 3, Soyud 2, Varilla 2, Ighalo 2.
Quarters: 24-26, 64-47, 81-70, 98-89
Second Game
MERALCO 93 – Black 25, Newsome 19, Maliksi 17, Hodge 10, Quinto 9, Almazan 5, Banchero 4, Pascual 4, Johnson 0, Hugnatan 0, Pasaol 0.
GINEBRA 82 – Thompson 29, Standhardinger 12, Chan 11, J.Aguilar 10, Pinto 8, Pringle 6, Mariano 5, Onwubere 1, David 0, Tenorio 0.
Quarters: 32-25, 53-43, 80-62, 93-82.
