PBA: Magnolia outshines import-less Air21

MANILA, Philippines – Magnolia outclassed an import-less Air21 side, 113-87, to take the headstart in their Smart-PBA Fiesta Cup semifinals series at the Astrodome. Import Amal McCaskill and Lordy Tugade clicked from both inside and outside for the Beverage Masters, fresh from a 78-60 win over the Coca-Cola Tigers in their survival game for the last Final Four berth just two nights ago. They are now up over the Express, 1-0, in the best-of-seven encounter. McCaskill defied all the local defenders thrown at him by Express coach Bo Perasol, hitting 15-of-20 from the field to finish with 34 points and 12 rebounds in a dominant showing bolstered by the absence of Air21 counterpart Steven Thomas. Tugade complemented McCaskill’s inside plays with an impressive outside shooting, connecting on 3-of-7 from downtown for 22 points. “This game should not be a gauge," said Magnolia coach Siot Tanquingcen. “It’s really a disadvantage when one team is playing without an import." The Beverage Masters will try to make it two in a row when Game 2 is played on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum. By then, the stocky 6-foot-10 Thomas is expected to be back in an Air21 uniform after missing the series opener when he opted to extend a short U.S vacation to attend the Cleveland Cavaliers camp. Thomas is arriving to the country Monday. “We started on a positive spirit but the reality is malaki talaga ang nawala sa amin," said Perasol. “But even with the loss, I am confident that our spirits will still be high in Game 2. We should not be hard on ourselves with this loss." In Thomas’ absence, big man Homer Se tried to carry the offensive load for the Express, the top seeded team at the end of the eliminations, by finishing with a career-high 31 points. – GMANews.TV