MAGNOLIA routed Blackwater, 118-100, on Thursday to open its campaign in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Ricardo Ratliffe had 30 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks in an impressive all-around effort as he reintroduced himself to the league after spending the last seven years in the Korean league.
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The Hotshots, however, missed Calvin Abueva in the second half after he suffered from neck spasms following an inadvertent elbow by Sedrick Barefield midway through the second quarter.
Jerrick Ahanmisi had 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, while Mark Barroca had 15 points and eight assists for Magnolia.
Rookie Jerom Lastimosa marked his PBA debut with nine points, two rebounds, and four assists in 24 minutes and 43 seconds of action.
Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said the focus was on defense especially against Blackwater import George King, who still wound up with 42 points.
“We were very aggressive on the defensive end. In the first half, we limited them to 41 points. We have a lot of defensive schemes against George King but sabi ko nga sa mga players ko, it’s all about limiting him.”
“We cannot stop George King because he is a high-scoring import. But Rome [dela Rosa], Aris [Dionisio] did a good job of limiting the activity,” said Victolero.
Magnolia also had a splendid offensive game as it shot 63.4 percent from the field, with Ratliffe leading the way by making 11 of his 13 shots. He was also 10-for-11 from two-point range.
The scores:
Magnolia 118 – Ratliffe 30, Ahanmisi 21, Barroca 15, Lucero 13, Lastimosa 9, Lee 9, Dela Rosa 8, Dionisio 6, Sangalang 3, Abueva 2, Balanza 2, Laput 0, Eriobu 0, Mendoza 0.
Blackwater 100 – King 42, Barefield 24, David 8, Chua 6, Tungcab 4, Kwekuteye 3, Ponferrada 3, Hill 3, Guinto 2, Corteza 2, Montalbo 2, Suerte 1, Ilagan 0, Escoto 0, Jopia 0.
Quarters: 29-27; 50-41; 82-69; 118-100.
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