By REYNALD MAGALLON
Myles Powell took over in the final frame as Bay Area took down Magnolia, 95-89, to seize the pole position in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena on Saturday, Nov. 19.
Powell thoroughly dissected the league’s best defensive team and dropped 11 of his 32 points – including two huge layups in the waning minutes for the team’s ninth win through 11 games.
The 6-foot-1 import just shrugged off the defense of Jio Jalalon, Rome Dela Rosa and Jio Jalalon to spearhead the Dragons searing attack while also collaring 10 boards.
Glen Yang also provided solid support with his 19 points while Songwei Zhu added 15.
After allowing the Hotshots take a brief 10-5 lead, Powell went on to work and scored 11 of his output to give the Dragons the lead it never relinquished despite Magnolia hanging tough all throughout the contest.
The Hotshots actually kept themselves within striking distance, only down by four, 91-87 with 40 seconds left following a booming triple from Jalalon. Zhu answered with two free-throws before Nick Rakocevic retaliated with a layup on the other end.
Magnolia had another shot inching close but Jalalon went wide right on his triple before Zhu iced the game with two more charities.
Nick Rakocevic paced Magnolia with 26 points and 18 rebounds while Jalalon and Paul Lee added 19 and 15 respectively.
Earlier, San Miguel Beer survived the absence of head coach Leo Austria as well as the late rally from Phoenix to escape with a 108-104 victory in the 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena on Saturday, Nov. 19.
The Beermen saw their once 13-point lead get chopped down to a single point late in the final frame but managed to hold on behind the steady free-throw shooting from CJ Perez and Devon Scott.
Simon Enciso picked the perfect time to hit his mark from the three-point territory and finished with 20 points built on six triples while Scott posted a double-double display of 18 points and 15 rebounds.
With the win, SMB snapped a two-game slide and improved to a 4-5 record in the standings to stay in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs even without Austria who was under health and safety protocol leaving the shotcalling duties to assistant coach Jorge Gallent.
The scores:
First Game
SAN MIGUEL 108 – Enciso 20, Scott 18, Perez 16, Lassiter 14, Tautuaa 12, Cruz 11, Zamar 6, Manuel 4, Brondial 4, Herndon 3.
PHOENIX 104 – Mocon 18, Serrano 14, Tio 14, Perkins 13, Anthony 13, Wesson 10, Rios 9, Jazul 9, Camacho 2, Pascual 2, Manganti 0, Garcia 0.
Quarters: 32-30, 60-56, 78-72, 108-104.
Second Game
BAY AREA 95 – Powell 32, Tang 19, Zhu 15, Ju 8, Liu 8, Reid 6, Blankley 5, Lam 2, Zheng 0.
MAGNOLIA 89 – Rakocevic 26, Jalalon 19, Lee 15, Sangalang 8, Ahanmisi 6, Abueva 4, Dela Rosa 3, Dionisio 3, Wong 3, Barroca 2, Reavis 0, Corpuz 0.
Quarters: 25-21, 47-44, 73-64, 95-89.
