Magnolia posts 1st win at expense of Meralco

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Magnolia put an end to its winless start after beating Meralco, 92-86, in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup Saturday night at Xavier University Gym in Cagayan De Oro.

It was a back-and-forth duel from the opening tip until the Hotshots took control after going on an 11-0 run capped by back-to-back triples by Jio Jalalon.

Jalalon’s pair of 3-pointers gave Magnolia an 89-82 lead with 4:00 remaining as the Hotshots finally won after starting the conference at 0-3.

The 26-year-old Jalalon scored a team-high 19 points on top of nine rebounds, four assists and one steal while Ian Sangalang posted a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds that went with two blocks.

Magnolia also drew a combined 26 points from its all-Star backcourt of Paul Lee and Mark Barroca.

Chris Newsome finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Bolts, who dropped to 2-5 and were out-rebounded 40-61.