Hotshots lose on the road anew
Shonn Miller scattered 33 points and hauled down 22 rebounds in an explosive debut for Meralco as the Bolts held on to a hard-earned 85-80 win over Magnolia in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup at the University of San Agustin gym in Iloilo City.
To cap off his his stellar performance, Miller scored on a crucial tip-in late in the game as the Luigi Trillo-mentored squad secured their seventh win in nine outings, and moved up to a tie for second place with idle Phoenix Super LPG.
Despite another loss on the road this conference, Magnolia finished the eliminations with a 9-2 record, still good enough for top spot but not sufficient to lock up the top seed in the next round.
Miller’s key putback with 1:40 left padded Meralco’s lead to three after the Hotshots had cut a double-digit deficit down to one at 77-76.
Cliff Hodge then followed up Miller’s clutch basket with a jumper of his own, extending the lead to five points.
Chris Newsome scored 17 points, including four crucial free throws late in the game to seal the win. This victory came just days after the Bolts had lost a home game in the East Asia Super League to Jeremy Lin’s New Taipei Kings at the PhilSports Arena.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Bolts went on an 11-0 run to take their largest lead of the game at 73-61.
Tyler Bey struggled throughout the match but still managed to pace the Hotshots with 23 points and 16 boards in 40 minutes of action. He shot a measly 6-of-18 from the field including 5 missed attempts from beyond the arc. Mark Barroca added 18 markers while Calvin Abueva chipped in 10.
The scores:
Meralco 85 – Miller 33, Newsome 17, Quinto 8, Caram 6, Hodge 5, Banchero 3, Black 2, Almazan 2, Rios 2, Bates 2.
Magnolia 80 – Bey 23, Barroca 18, Abueva 10, Jalalon 8, Eriobu 5, Lee 4, Sangalang 4, Dela Rosa 3, Mendoza 3, Laput 2, Tratter 0, Dionisio 0.
Quarterscores: 20-16, 35-37, 57-58, 85-80.