Magnolia crushes Alaska
Import Mike Harris banged in 18 of his game-high 38 points in the first period to power Magnolia to a huge 118-91 win over Alaska yesterday in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The lopsided victory boosted Magnolia’s record to a league-leading 9-1 while the loss virtually doomed Alaska’s bonus bid as it dropped to 6-5.
Big man Ian Sangalang marked his return with 14 points and six rebounds, while energetic cagers Jio Jalalon and Jack Corpuz provided extra spark and conspired for 24 markers for Magnolia.
Whether Alaska will crack the top four depends largely on the result of the remaining games.
“In the pre-game, I already told my players that there’s no such thing as a no-bearing game,” Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero said.
“Our mentality is that the present game will always be the most important game for us. We just tried to focus on the game at hand.”
With Harris setting the tone early in the game, the Aces simply found no antidote against Hotshots’ fierce offense throughout the entire match.
Magnolia’s airtight defense was also crucial as it limited Alaska import Olu Ashaolu to only 12 points in almost 38 minutes of action.
The Hotshots even stretched the lead up to 31, 116-85, with Ronnie de Leon and Russel Escoto drilling back-to-back jumpers with 1:27 left in the game.
Magnolia will attempt to finish its preliminary campaign with a bang when they face also-ran Blackwater on Wednesday, while TNT Tropang Giga aims to extend its winning ways against ousted Terrafirma in the opener.
The Scores:
MAGNOLIA (118) — Harris 38, Sangalang 14, Jalalon 12, Corpuz 12, Lee 8, Escoto 8, Barroca 7, Wong 7, Reavis 4, Dionisio 3, De Leon 3, De la Rosa 2, Ahanmisi 0, Capobres 0.
ALASKA (91) — Ilagan 14, Ahanmisi 12, Ashaolu 12, Bulanadi 11, Taha 8, Stockton 7, Tratter 6, Teng 6, DiGregorio 5, Tolomia 4, Faundo 4, Marcelino 2, Adamos 0, Publico 0, Racal 0.
QUARTERS: 37-18, 61-45, 87-67, 118-91.
Games on Wednesday: (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 3 p.m. — TNT vs Terrafirma 6 p.m. — Magnolia vs Blackwater