MANILA, Philippines – Calvin Abueva provided an immediate impact in his Magnolia return and keyed a 94-65 thrashing of undermanned San Miguel in the PBA On Tour at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City on Sunday, July 9.

Abueva scored 9 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds in his first appearance in the preseason tournament after dealing with a knee injury as the Hotshots remained unbeaten in eight matches.

Rust showed for Abueva as he missed a couple of point-blank shots, but he made up for them with his hustle for the boards, hauling down 9 offensive rebounds.

James Laput frolicked inside in the win with a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double and Jerrick Ahanmisi chalked up 13 points, with 8 coming in the fourth quarter to help Magnolia pull away for good.

The Beermen were still within striking distance at the end of the third period, 56-66, but they scored just 9 points in the final frame as they slipped to 3-7 for second-to-last place in the 12-team tiff.

Abu Tratter also delivered a double-double for the Hotshots with 11 points and 11 rebounds, Jio Jalalon turned in 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, while Joseph Eriobu contributed 9 points and 5 rebounds.

Magnolia completed another rout despite a scoreless outing from Paul Lee, who shot 0-of-6 from the field, as it dominated the rebounding department, 61-33.

“We did a good job on the small things, the things that do not show up in the stats, especially our hustle,” said Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero.

Jericho Cruz once again showed the way for San Miguel with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Rodney Brondial had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Still without several of their stars, the Beermen found themselves sent back to the losing track just two days after snapping their five-game skid with a 37-point beatdown of winless TNT.

Allyn Bulanadi added 10 points and 4 steals in the defeat.

The Scores

Magnolia 94 – Laput 21, Jalalon 11, Tratter 11, Ahanmisi 10, Abueva 9, Eriobu 9, Mendoza 7, Corpuz 5, Dela Rosa 5, Murrell 3, Barroca 1, Lee 0.

San Miguel 65 – Cruz 15, Brondial 12, Bulanadi 10, Faundo 9, Dela Cruz 8, Dela Cruz 8, Baclao 5, Lee 2, Apacible 2, Lazarte 2.

Quarters: 24-14, 48-35, 66-56, 94-65.

– Rappler.com