Magnolia’s season comes to a close after heartbreaking QF loss to Meralco

Meralco blanked Magnolia in the final three minutes of regulation and then drained clutch triples in the extra period to slip past the Hotshots, 103-97, in the quarterfinal round of the PBA Season 47 Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The Bolts, who were armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, eliminated the SMC-owned franchise from further contention and joined San Miguel, Brgy. Ginebra and TNT in the next round.

Chris Newsome dropped a career-best 33 points on 11-of-20 shooting with 5-of-11 coming from beyond the arc. The Gilas Pilipinas guard grabbed 11 boards, issued 7 assists and stole the ball twice in 42 minutes of action.

“It’s a big win for us, just what I expected – another tough game against Magnolia,” said Meralco coach Norman Black during the post-game press conference.

“Luckily for us tonight, we got a lot of guys that were heroes that are led by Newsome, and that’s what it takes at this time of the season. You really have to have everybody to contribute if you want to move on to the playoffs,” he added.

KJ McDaniels added 27 points and 10 boards while Chris Banchero and Aaron Black scored 16 apiece.

Paul Lee paced the Hotshots with 22 points while import Antonio Hester compiled 21 points, 19 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Mark Barroca and Calvin Abueva chipped in 18 and 15 markers, respectively.

The scores:

Meralco 113 – Newsome 33, McDaniels 27, Banchero 16, Black 16, Maliksi 9, Almazan 7, Quinto 3, Hodge 2, Caram 0, Pasaol 0, Jose 0.

Magnolia 107 – Lee 22, Hester 21, Barroca 18, Abueva 15, Jalalon 9, Dela Rosa 8, Dionisio 6, Wong 4, Escoto 4, Corpuz 0.

Quarterscores: 22-21, 47-49, 76-78, 96-96, 113-107