Lee, Harris drop 26 each as Magnolia cruises past San Miguel

MANILA, Philippines – The league-leading Magnolia Hotshots bounced back from their stunning loss to the NorthPort Batang Pier three days ago with a 104-87 demolition of the San Miguel Beermen in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Sunday, February 27.

Paul Lee and import Mike Harris dropped 26 points apiece for the Hotshots as they secured a quarterfinal berth and inched closer to capturing a twice-to-beat bonus with an impressive 7-1 record.

On the other hand, the Beermen, who saw their two-game winning streak come to an end, moved down to 5-4 in the standings – tied with Barangay Ginebra.

After leading by only 2 points, 25-23, at the end of the opening frame, the Hotshots turned it up a notch in the second period and outscored the Beermen, 32-21, for a 57-44 halftime advantage.

San Miguel managed to cut the deficit back to just single digits midway through the third quarter, 59-67, before Magnolia once again took its offense to another level, pushing its lead to as many as 24 points, 91-67, with only 8:44 left to play.

Mark Barroca and Aris Dionisio contributed 12 points apiece for Magnolia, while Jio Jalalon chipped in 10 markers.

Magnolia spoiled the PBA debut of San Miguel’s new import Shabazz Muhammad, who struggled heavily on the offensive end, finishing with 27 points on a dismal 11-of-28 shooting clip, to go along with 12 rebounds, and 8 turnovers.

CJ Perez backstopped the former NBA player Muhammad with 18 points, while Vic Manuel added 16 markers.

The Hotshots will look to start a new winning streak when they clash with the Meralco Bolts on Wednesday, March 2, at 6 pm, while the Beermen will look to get back on the winning track when they lock horns with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Thursday, March 3, also at 6 pm.