Calvin Abueva came through with an explosive debut for Magnolia, powering an 80-73 win against his former team Phoenix in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup on Saturday, July 17 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Abueva pumped in a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds to go with three assists to carry the Hotshots to a triumphant start to the season.
The 6-foot-3 bruiser's point production was just two markers short of his career-high as he shot an efficient 8-of-14 from the field and 9-of-15 from the line.
Interestingly, Abueva helped Magnolia get some sort of revenge over Phoenix which booted them out in the quarterfinals of the PH Cup bubble last year.
"I think talagang bagay siya (Abueva) sa'min, sa sistema, sa tinatakbo naming schemes sa depensa and especially 'yung nakukuha naming energy niya sa pressure defense namin at 'yung rebounding namin na-improve because of Calvin also," said head coach Chito Victolero.
Paul Lee was the only other double-digit scorer for Magnolia as he fired 21 points to go with six rebounds and two assists.
Matthew Wright led Phoenix with 20 points while ex-Alaska forward Vic Manuel tallied a 16-marker, 10-board double-double for his new squad.
Abueva scored six straight points highlighted by a tip-in off his own missed free throw to give the Hotshots a 74-68 breather with 2:24 left in the game.
Matthew Wright completed a three-point play with a breakaway layup and a foul off Mark Barroca to push the Fuel Masters within 73-74 with 2:12 remaining.
Lee sank two freebies and Barroca split from the line, 77-73, with 21.4 seconds left to seal the deal.
Magnolia held a slim 25-23 lead over Phoenix at the half, making it the lowest scoring first half in PBA since April 2019 when Rain or Shine took a 27-21 lead over the Hotshots in Game 7 of their PH Cup semifinals duel which the latter won in overtime.
The scores:
Magnolia 80 – Abueva 26, Lee 21, Barroca 7, Jajalon 6, Dela Rosa 6, Sangalang 6, Ahanmisi 3, Reavis 3, Ahanmisi 3, Corpuz 2, Brill 0, Reavis 0
Phoenix 73 – Wright 20, Manuel 16, Garcia11, Perkins 11, Chua 7, Demusis 4, Pascual 2, Rios 2, Jazul 0, Muyang 0, Melecio 0, Calisaan 0
Quarters : 11-11, 25-23, 55-51, 80-73