SMART CLARK GIGA CITY – Magnolia zoomed past Blackwater, 95-80, to end its 2020 PBA Philippine Cup eliminations campaign with six straight wins, Wednesday at the SMART 5G-powered AUF Sports and Cultural Center.
The Hotshots ended up with a 7-4 record to tie with several other teams although their top four aspirations are no more due to the quirk of the quotient, meaning that they will be in a twice-to-win disadvantage for the quarterfinals.
Runners-up in the last two all-Filipino conferences, Magnolia could either finish at seventh to face no. 2 seed Phoenix Super LPG, or end up at eighth where they will take on the top-ranked Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Ian Sangalang continued his solid play as he led the Hotshots with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Banchero finished with 14 points after scoring just a total of 12 in their last three outings. He also had six boards and five assists.
Rookie Aris Dionisio proved his worth time and again with 12 points, while Mark Barroca supplied 11 markers, six assists, and five steals as they will head into the next round with so much momentum.
Magnolia seized control of the match early where it scored 32 in the opening frame before pulling away for good in the second period, scoring five straight to make the 41-32 gap the closest Blackwater could ever get.
The Elite, though, continued to show signs of life but the Hotshots were just to much to handle. A Justin Melton three-pointer propelled them to their biggest lead of the game at 21, 90-69, with 3:03 left to play.
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