PBA: Meralco limits Magnolia to franchise low to boost playoff bid

Raymond Almazan willed Meralco to a huge win against Magnolia. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

IMUS—Purefoods' worst game in its 36-year stay in the PBA came at one of the worst times.

The storied franchise suffered a huge blow in its bid for a better quarterfinal seeding after Meralco held them to their lowest single-game output in a 74-51 defeat in a pivotal Philippine Cup game on Sunday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.

The team currently known as the Magnolia Hotshots found itself in deep trouble after the Bolts limited them to just seven points in the second quarter and 21 for the entire first half even as Meralco built a 14-point lead at halftime.

The Bolts' stifling of the Hotshots continued in the second half until they held them lower than their previous franchise low of 53 in 2005.

Chris Newsome and Raymond Almazan each scored 12 points with Almazan also grabbing 11 rebounds for Meralco, which joined a three-way tie with Rain Or Shine and Terrafirma for sixth to eighth places at 5-5.

In a game that saw Magnolia only making 25 percent of their field goals, Ian Sangalang led the team, which dropped to a tie with TNT for fourth and fifth places at 5-4, with eight points, 10 rebounds, and two assists.

The Scores:

MERALCO 74 – Newsome 12, Almazan 12, Banchero 11, Bates 10, Caram 9, Quinto 6, Maliksi 4, Black 3, Dario 3, Hodge 2, Pascual 2, Torres 0, Pasaol 0

MAGNOLIA  51 – Sangalang 8, Laput 6, Dionisio 6, Lee 6, Dela Rosa 5, Barroca 5, Tratter 4, Balanza 4, Escoto 2, Corpuz 2, Eriobu 2, Mendoza 1, Reavis 0

QUARTERS: 21-14, 35-21, 56-34, 74-51

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