PBA: Magnolia forces rubber match for 8th seed with rout vs Meralco

Ricardo Ratliffe pounced on all-Filipino Meralco to keep Magnolia's playoff hopes alive. PBA Images
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Magnolia lived to fight another day in the PBA Commissioner's Cup after drubbing Meralco, 129-92, in their last elimination round game on Friday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.

The result means the Hotshots will play on Sunday night against either the NLEX Road Warriors or the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters for the last quarterfinal berth.

Known for being a defense-oriented team, Magnolia turned to its high-octane offense to repulse Meralco, which once again opted to sit out the injured Akil Mitchell for the game.

The Hotshots exploded for 73 points in the first half, and thanks to a buzzer-beater from Ian Sangalang, they already reached beyond 100 points--101 to be exact--at the end of the third quarter even as they pounded the Bolts from start to finish.

Ricardo Ratliffe put up 31 points, 19 rebounds, four assists, and two steals to lead Magnolia, which finished its elimination round campaign tied with NLEX at 6-6.

The showdown between both teams for the right to face top-seeded NorthPort in the quarterfinals could be formalized if ROS beats TNT, which already locked in the second seed with Magnolia's win, later Wednesday.

A Tropang Giga win, though, will mean the Road Warriors will advance outright as the seventh seed, and the Elasto Painters would have to face the Hotshots for the eighth seed.

Zav Lucero added 22 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from three-point range, three rebounds, and three assists off the bench for Magnolia, which won its last three games to stay alive in playoff contention.

Raymond Almazan put up 23 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one block for Meralco, which ended its elimination round campaign at 7-5.

The team now shifts its attention back to Ginebra as they begin a best-of-three quarterfinal series next week.

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