Magnolia hands Kia 15th loss in row

CEBU, Philippines — Going on attack mode in the second half, the Magnolia Hotshots added to the woes of the Kia Picanto whom they sent reeling to a 15th straight loss – the longest slump in the PBA in the last decade.

The Hotshots dished out a tremendous effort in the last two quarters, and mangled the Picanto, 124-77, to gain a piece of third place in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

So dominant were the Hotshots in their second-half charge that they matched the total output of the hapless Kia team in the last two quarters.

Magnolia ripped Kia apart, 77-28, in the final half and duplicated its 47-point blowout of the Picanto last Sept. 22. It’s the worst loss by the Columbian Autocar Corp. franchise in the local pro league.

Curiously, the Hotshots trailed by two, 47-49, at the turn.

“We played poorly, especially on defense, in the first half. At the half, I told the guys we have to adjust, have the desire to win and put in our best effort in every possession,” said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero.

“We started pressing their backcourt. Mark Barroca, Justin Melton and Jio Jalalon showed great energy, and it rubbed off on the other guys,” Victolero added.

Jalalon stealing off Jackson Corpuz on a press then beating the counter-defense of Corpuz in a whirlwind sequence best demonstrated Magnolia’s effort put in the final half.

In trying to foil Jalalon’s attack, Corpuz hurt his right hand.

The Hotshots thoroughly beat Kia in the second half on the way to a second win in three games in the season-opening all-Filipino tourney.

Kia, on the other hand, dropped a third straight loss in the tourney and 15th overall from last season’s Commissioner’s Cup. It’s the longest losing streak in the last decade or since Welcoat (now Rain or Shine) suffered the same in its second season in the league.

Melton top scored with 23 points, Ian Sangalang added 21 while Paul Lee, Robert Herndon, PJ Simon and Jalalon chipped in at least 11 each for the Hotshots who denied new Kia coach Ricky Dandan a triumphant PBA debut.

The Picanto fought the Hotshots through 30 lead changes and 10 deadlocks before their huge breakdown on Magnolia’s pressing defense.

Alaska Milk snapped a four-game losing streak from last season as the Aces sustained a solid game throughout in repulsing the Meralco Bolts, 103-98, later in the night.

“We talked about starting the year with a clean slate. And it’s nice to see everybody stepping up on the floor,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton.