April 22, 2017

Mitchell arrives late for game, then help Star snap a two-game skid

STAR bucked the late arrival of import Tony Mitchell and the hot-shooting of KG Canaleta to rally past Blackwater, 96-90, and arrest a two-game skid in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Mitchell arrived a few minutes late for the Petron Saturday Special game at the Mall of Asia Arena due to traffic, but made up for it by leading a fourth quarter barrage that finally allowed the Hotshots to take control.

The NBA veteran scored six of his team-high 17 points during that stretch as Star welcomed the payoff period with nine straight unanswered points to turn around a five-point deficit to a 74-70 lead.

Paul Lee, Jio Jalalon, and Mark Barroca then teamed up with Mitchell to sustain the run and help the Hotshots clinch their fifth win in seven outings. Coming into the game, they lost their last two matches against Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel.

“Maganda yung reaction ng players, yung energy,” said coach Chito Victolero following the game. “Sabi ko nga sa kanila nung Philippine Cup wala tayong three-game losing streak, kaya sana huwag nating dagdagan yung talo natin para lang ma-break yung losing streak natin.”

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The loss by Blackwater spoiled a great shooting performance by Canaleta, who had a game-high 27 points and finished 7 of 12 from three-point range.

Canaleta’s barrage of three-pointers early had the Elite controlling the game until the third quarter until Mitchell and the Hotshots turned on the heat in the final 12 minutes.

Mitchell added 15 rebounds but fouled out again for the second straight game.

But he got plenty of support from the other Hotshots as Lee finished with 15, Jalalon with 13, and Allein Maliksi and Justin Melton with 10 each.

“Kailangan naming ipanalo ito going to the All-Star break dahil two weeks kaming break,” added Victolero.

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Import Greg Smith had monster numbers of 22 points and 29 rebounds but not enough to prevent Blackwater from absorbing a second straight loss to fall at 1-6.