Jio Jalalon stars as Magnolia eliminates Rain or Shine, moves up to 3rd spot
Magnolia stretched is winning streak to 6 games and in the process eliminated Rain or Shine from the playoffs of the PBA Season 47 Philippine Cup by virtue of a merciless 31-point rout, 118-87, Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The Hotshots improved to 7-3 which is good for 3rd spot in the team standings while the Elasto Painters dropped to 4-7 and joined NorthPort, Phoenix Super LPG and Terrafirma in early vacation.
Jio Jalalon atoned for missing crucial free throws against Meralco by leading the charge for the Chito Victolero-mentored squad with a triple-double performance of 16 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. The 5-foot-8 playmaker out of Arellano University shot 8-of-15 from the field and stole the ball 3 times in 30 minutes of action.
“We just need to settle down of course tendency naman talaga na medyo lamang ka ng malaki, magrelax. Kailangan lang ng reminders ng mga bata,” said Victolero during the post-game press conference.
“We just need to remind them how important yung ginagawa namin. We have to do it consistently ‘yung depensa saka execution namin sa opensa.”
Aside from Jalalon, 6 other Hotshots racked up double-figures in scoring with Jerrick Ahamnisi contributing 19, Calvin Abueva with 16, Ian Sangalang and Mark Barroca with 12, and Jackson Corpuz and Paul Lee with 11.
Leonard Santillan paced Rain or Shine with 17 points while Andrei Caracut and Anton Asistio chipped in 12 markers apiece.
Magnolia will conclude its elimination round schedule against the skidding Blackwater Bossing on Friday, July 22, 6:00pm at the same venue.
The scores:
Magnolia 118 – Ahanmisi 19, Jalalon 16, Abueva 13, Sangalang 12, Barroca 12, Corpuz 11, Lee 11, Dionisio 8, Escoto 5, Wong 4, Brill 3, Dela Rosa 2, Zaldivar 2, Laput 0, Reavis 0.
Rain or Shine 87 – Santillan 17, Caracut 12, Asistio 12, Nieto 9, Torres 9, Mamuyac 8, Belga 7, Demusis 5, Ildefonso 5, Guinto 3, Tolentino 0, Clarito 0.
Quarterscores: 31-21, 61-38, 87-64, 118-87.
