Magnolia racks three wins in a row

Magnolia weathered a dangerous fourth quarter rally posed by hard luck Blackwater, 81-77, to string its third straight win Wednesday night in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Hotshots almost squandered a 17-point lead when the Bossing nipped it to just nine before hanging on for a 4-2 win-loss record.

Sweet-shooting Mark Barroca finished with 19 points in an efficient 5-of-9 field goal shooting including crucial baskets that kept Blackwater at bay.  He also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals for an all-around performance.

Magnolia held the Bossing to just 11 points in the third quarter after a 34-34 halftime deadlock while doubling Blackwater’s output in the period for a 56-45 lead heading into the final canto.

Barroca gave the Hotshots a 67-50 lead with a jumper in the last 7:02 of the game. The Bossing answered with a 10-2 run to narrow it down to 69-60 but Barroca stopped Magnolia’s bleeding with two foul shots.

The Hotshots traded baskets with Blackwater in the next possesions. James Kwekuteye gave Magnolia a scare in the last 10 seconds, hitting a three to trim the Bossing’s deficit to 79-74 before Paul Lee iced it for the Hotshots with a couple of charities.

Lee had 10 points capped by a triple for his 999^th career trey, Ian Sanglang also had 10 markers as well as Jio Jalalon while Calvin Abueva got a double-double of 10 points and 13 boards.

Blackwater’s woes continued as it dropped to a 3-5 card.

Kwekuteye reached the 20-point mark for the second straight game with a personal conference-best 23 points while Troy Rosario had 20 markers, six assists and four boards.  

Box scores:

MAGNOLIA (81) --- Barroca 19, Sangalang 10, Abueva 10, Lee 10, Laput 9, Dionisio 7, Jalalon 7, Eriobu 4, Tratter 2, Mendoza 0, Balanza 0, Ahanmisi 0

BLACKWATER (77) --- Kwekuteye 23, Rosario 20, Nambatac 9, Ilagan 7, David 7, Guinto 6, Hill 2, Jopia 2, Chua 1, Escoto 0, Suerte 0, Tungcab 0, Casio 0

Quarters: 17-20, 34-34, 56-45, 81-77