Magnolia imposed its will inside the shaded lane and attacked NLEX into submission for a 119-103 triumph Thursday night and a third straight victory in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors' Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Six players scored in double figures for the Hotshots, who drew another solid game from returning import Antonio Hester.
On his second tour of duty in the league – first time with the Hotshots — Hester finished with 34 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out five assists. He also overpowered his more illustrious counterpart, National Basketball Association veteran Wayne Selden, throughout the match.
Hester has remained undefeated since returning as PBA import and the Hotshots are now on a roll, winning three in a row after losing the first three games in the season-ending tournament.
Jio Jalalon almost had a triple-double performance, ending with 17 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists.
Paul Lee came away with 18 markers, Mark Barroca contributed 13 on top of five rebounds and five assists, while Aris Dionisio came off the bench, scoring 13 and hitting all his five shots from the field.
Calvin Abueva had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Hotshots, who shot 55% from the field (47-of-84).
Aside from the steady shooting from the field, Magnolia dominated NLEX in rebounding, 58-26, which proved to be the deciding factor in the game.
"That's what Hester brings to us. Before, inside presence is the problem for us because we lost Ian (Sangalang), who is still sick. Now, Hester was able to address that. If Ian is going to return, it's going to be a good problem for us since he knows how to play with imports who can play inside," said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero.
The Scores:
MAGNOLIA 119 – Hester 37, Lee 18, Jalalon 17, Barroca 13, Dionisio 13, Abueva 10, Corpuz 4, Escoto 4, Dela Rosa 3, Ahanmisi 0, Reavis 0, Wong 0, Laput 0
NLEX 103 – Selden Jr. 25, Ganuelas-Rosser 20, Rosales 19, Trollano 16, Alas 15, Semerad 4, Gabo 2, Pascual 0
QUARTERS: 25-29, 49-50, 88-79, 119-103