By REYNALD MAGALLON
Magnolia bucked a long lull due to a roof leak and then pulled away in the fourth to beat Meralco, 105-88, in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Friday, Aug. 7.
The Hotshots hardly lost a step even after both teams had to wait for half an hour after a roof leak at the venue rendered the court unplayable, putting the game away with a huge 34-point explosion in the payoff period.
Magnolia was actually on the groove with an 8-0 run to take a 71-70 lead before the long pause but the team carried the momentum to the resumption and created the much-needed separation.
The leak was caused by the heavy downpour in Manila brought by the combined effects of the southwest monsoon and tropical depression Maymay
The Hotshots improved to a 3-3 record in tie with Blackwater at the third to fourth spots in the Group B standings.
KJ Buffen led the charge for Magnolia with 27 points and seven rebounds while Ian Sangalang added a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jerom Lastimosa also had 17 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Terrafirma let NLEX escape in their first meeting. It made sure not to suffer the same fate the second time around.
The Dyip finally completed the unfinished business from their first round meeting, taking down the erstwhile undefeated Road Warriors, 114-109, to get back on the winning track.
Taking the lessons to heart after their 100-101 defeat in the first round, Terrafirma displayed great poise down the stretch, unloading a telling 8-0 finishing to hand NLEX its first taste defeat after seven games.
Maverick Ahanmisi steadied the ship in the endgame, finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 10 assists — none bigger than his two crucial dimes for a back-to-back Geo Chiu layup which triggered the massive run.
Justin Strings led the way in scoring with 28 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while Juami Tiongson fired 20. Brent Paraiso also chipped in 18 while JM Bravo finished with 16.
Chiu added eight points and 12 rebounds for the Dyip who caught the Converge FiberXers at the fourth spot of the Group A standings with similar 3-4 records.
