Mahindra rides Paniamogan’s hot hand, frustrates Meralco
Philip Paniamogan had the hot hand and Mahindra torched Meralco, 105-92, for a much-needed win in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Paniamogan, who went undrafted in 2014, made his first eight shots from the field en route to a career-high 25 points to lead the hot-shooting Floodbuster.
“Meralco is definitely a contender team. Their standing does not reflect the capability of this team. I really feel like we just had all our cylinders going today,” said Mahindra coach Chris Gavina, whose team improved to 2-6.
“Coming into this game, we really adapted to our uptempo and early transition. The level of confidence of shooting really kicked in. Our guys are really buying into coming in early and staying in late, and the commitment to the hard work and preparation showed today.”
The Floodbuster set a franchise-record with 21 3-pointers, seven coming from Paniamogan. The former Jose Rizal University star went 9-of-11 from the field in less than 21 minutes of play.
“He came up big tonight. Honestly, I really saw it coming from Christmas Day because even during the break he was one of the guys who asked me to keep working. When he’s called upon he’s really ready to deliver,” Gavina said of Paniamogan.
Mahindra led by as much as 17 in the first half before Meralco pulled to within seven, 86-79, with 5:51 remaining.
But with their outside shooting clicking, the Floodbuster hit four more triples to seal the game.
Mahindra notched its second straight victory after turning back Blackwater on Christmas while Meralco reeled to its fifth consecutive setback for a 2-6 mark.
Gavina also dedicated the win to team consultant Joe Lipa and his wife, who is being treated with cancer
Aside from Paniamogan, Mahindra had five other players finishing in double-figures with Alex Mallari, Nico Salva and Jason Deutchman scoring 13 apiece while Mike Digregorio and Russel Escoto chipping in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Reynel Hugnatan matched his career-high 28 points that went with six rebounds and three assists while Chris Newsome added 19 points and eight assists for the Bolts.
