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Magnolia locked up the second twice-to-beat advantage and eliminated Meralco from playoff contention after a 94-65 win in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup at Xavier University Gym Saturday in Cagayan de Oro City.
Paul Lee sparked a second-quarter breakaway that saw the Hotshots go on a 10-0 run to put the game away for good.
The heady playmaker was pretty much unguardable throughout the game, especially in early part of the fourth quarter, where he toyed with Meralco’s defense. He hit a triple to make it 73-52, before zig-zagging his way for a nifty drive to make it 77-55, with 9:07 remaining.
Lee finished with 21 points and three steals in just less than 20 minutes on the floor as he towed Magnolia (8-3) to the top two where it will be joined by San Miguel Beer.
Meralco (4-7) will miss the all-Filipino playoffs for the third consecutive season.
Ian Sangalang and Marc Pingris combined for 16 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks for the Hotshots, who shot 50 percent from the field while limiting the Bolts to just 35 percent.
Magnolia cruised to victory despite missing the services of playmaker Jio Jalalon. Jalalon, a native of Cagayan de Oro, is with Gilas Pilipinas, which plays Japan on Sunday in the 2019 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers at Mall of Asia Arena.