MERCURIAL star forward Calvin Abueva notched a career milestone and powered Magnolia to a big win against also-ran Blackwater yesterday.
The Hotshots proved too strong for the Bossing, pulling off a 110-95 victory to wind up their eliminations campaign on a high in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Abueva scattered a game-high 27 points and joined the pro league’s 5,000-point club in an outing he laced with 13 rebounds and two assists.
Import Antonio Hester chipped in 22 markers, 20 boards and three dimes, while Russel Escoto and Rome Dela Rosa had 17 and 14 points, respectively, for the Hotshots, who have long qualified for the quarterfinals.
The triumph came on the heels of Magnolia’s 121-115 overtime decision over Terrafirma five days ago and finished the eliminations with a 7-4 mark in a tie with Meralco.
After yesterday’s games, including the Ginebra-Terrafirma match, the league takes a break for the PBA All-Star weekend and resumes on March 15.
Blackwater failed to end its woes in the Third Conference, dropping its ninth straight match for a 1-10 slate overall.
Hotshots coach Chito Victolero said his wards took to heart the lessons learned the last time out, especially on exerting more effort.
“I think the energy (was key in the win) and Calvin gives us extra energy together with Aris Dionisio and most of the players did their job. We learned a lot from our mistakes in our last game. Katulad ng sinabi ni Calvin, we knew it would boil down to effort,” Victolero said.
“Lagi naming ipinapaalala iyan na without effort, we will have a hard time to win.
“This time I think we were very consistent doon sa effort pero mayroong kaunting lapses lang sa game na medyo hindi naman namin dapat ginagawa but I’m very happy and very proud because they stepped up in this game,” he added.
After taking a 48-45 cushion at the halfway mark, Magnolia surged ahead 87-63 on Mark Barroca’s two free throws with 9.0 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Hotshots settled for an 87-66 edge going into the payoff period.
But the Bossing roared back and last threatened at 89-95 on a JVee Casio three-pointer with 5:52 to go before the likes of Abueva, Dela Rosa, and Hester doused cold water on the comeback bid.
Reinforcement Shawn Glover paced the Bossing with 22 points, six caroms, and five feeds, while Casio added 20 markers, three rebounds and 10 assists.
Baser Amer and Ato Ular also combined for 28 points for Blackwater.
