The PBA celebrated its 50th anniversary on Wednesday, April 9, with a double-header that featured the Magnolia Hotshots, Converge FiberXers, San Miguel Beermen, and Meralco Bolts. Here’s a recap of the actionat the Rizal Memorial Coliseum to continue the Philippine Cup:
Magnolia Routs Converge Behind Ian Sangalang, Zavier Lucero
Ian Sangalang and Zavier Lucero powered the Magnolia Hotshots to an 83-71 victory over the Converge FiberXers to notch a second straight victory to start off the Philippine Cup.
Sangalang fired 18 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and issued 4 assists, while Lucero put up 18 points as well on top of 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Justin Arana led the way for Converge with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Schonny Winston chipped in 14 points. Justine Baltazar added 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The game was tight much of the way, but Magnolia started creating separation in the final period, with Sangalang firing 6 points and Rome dela Rosa adding 7 of his 9 points to extend a 65-60 lead to 78-66.
The scores:
Magnolia (83) – Lucero 18, Sangalang 18, Escoto 11, Dela Rosa 9, Abueva 8, Alfaro 4, Barroca 4, Laput 4, Lee 3, Dionisio 2, Lastimosa 2, Eriobu 0, Reavis 0
Converge (71) – Winston 14, Arana 14, Baltazar 11, Racal 11, Stockton 8, B. Santos 4, Garcia 4, Corpuz 3, Delos Santos 2, Vigan-Fleming 0, Nermal 0, Ambohot 0, Caralipio 0, R. Santos 0
Up Next:
Magnolia vs. San Miguel Beermen on April 16 (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
Converge vs. Blackwater Bossing (Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
San Miguel Upends Meralco Behind Big Games from June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez
In a game when they wore throwback jerseys, the San Miguel Beermen threw it back with their performance, too, flashing the same dominant form that helped them win several Philippine Cup titles. The result was a 110-98 victory at the expense of the Meralco Bolts.
June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez led the way for San Miguel, with The Kraken going off for 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists and The Predator firing 29 points. Jeron Teng followed up his fine play in the opener with 11 points, while Rodney Brondial, Marcio Lassiter, and Juami Tiongson combined for 24 markers.
Chris Newsome dropped 27 for the Bolts, who found themselves down early and trailing San Miguel, 52-38, going into intermission. But Meralco trimmed that deficit to 77-74 with a searing third quarter, only to be quelled by a San Miguel uprising in the fourth.
The scores:
San Miguel (110) – Perez 29, Fajardo 28, Teng 11, Brondial 9, Lassiter 8, Tiongson 7, Rosales 7, Tautuaa 6, Trollano 5, Cahilig 0
Meralco (98) – Newsome 27, Reyson 14, Black 12, Jose 12, Hodge 10, Cansino 8, Bates 6, Almazan 5, Quinto 4, Torres 0, Rios 0, Caram 0, Pascual 0
Up Next:
San Miguel vs. Magnolia on April 16 (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
Meralco vs. Phoenix Fuel Masters on April 13 (Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Continues
The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup continues on Saturday, April 12, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The NorthPort Batang Pier will make their debut in this tournament against the Terrafirma Dyip, while the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will do the same against the NLEX Road Warriors.
There will be no games on Friday, a regular PBA play day, to make way for the league’s gala night at Solaire North, where the PBA’s greatest 50 will be honored.
