Games Wednesday:
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
4:30 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs NorthPort
7:30 p.m. — Magnolia vs Blackwater
Magnolia tightened the screws on defense and let loose a red-hot offensive outburst in the second half to silence Phoenix, 107-93, in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Big man Ian Sangalang pounded it down low for easy buckets to finish with 23 points on nine-of-16 field goal shooting with nine rebounds and five assists in the Hotshots’ second straight win for a 3-2 win-loss record.
Magnolia emerged from the dugout at halftime focused on clamping down on defense after allowing the Fuel Masters to erase a 12-point deficit and turn it into an 11-point lead behind a scorching three-point shooting in the second quarter.
The Hotshots gave Phoenix 39 points in the second period alone but were able to limit their young but feisty opponent to 36 in the entire second half.
“We had a serious talk about the first half during halftime. We allowed them to score 39 in the second quarter and it’s not us. I think that’s the worst defensive quarter for us. I couldn’t even remember when we last time allowed an opponent to score that much against us,” Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said.
Mark Barroca led all scorers with 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting clip including 4-of-9 from the rainbow territory for the Hotshots, who made a killing inside the shaded area with 62 points in the paint.
Magnolia’s bench had 86 points led by Sangalang and Barroca with Jio Jalalon putting in 13 points and Abu Tratter adding eight.
Joseph Eriobu was the lone Hotshots starter in double figures with 11 while Jerrick Balanza, acquired in a trade with Converge last Thursday, debuted with two points in almost 15 minutes of play.
The Hotshots also stretched their defense in the second half after giving the Elasto Painters good looks from the outside for 10 triples in the first two quarters. Phoenix only had four in the second half.
“We gave emphasis on that. We know they scored almost 50 percent on their three-point shots. Actually, Boss Al (Chua) talked about it during halftime but at least we responded well to the challenge of defending their perimeter especially their three-points,” Victolero said.
“We did a very good job on defense. I thought they’ll score 100 points against us and we’ll have a hard time winning this game. Credit to all the players for their efforts in the second half.”
The Fuel Masters absorbed their fifth loss against two wins to remain in 11th spot.
RJ Jazul paced Phoenix with 21 points, 11 coming in the second quarter, and five assists while Ken Tuffin got 17 points. Jason Perkins added 16 points and Javee Mocon posted 11 for the Fuel Masters.
Phoenix let it rain from the outside in the second quarter, nailing eight three-pointers with RJ Jazul hitting three.
Down by 12 at the start of the second period, the Fuel Masters outgunned the Hotshots in a 23-point turnaround to take a 55-44 lead with 1:02 left before halftime after a Ken Tuffin layup.
Phoenix entered the half with a 57-47 advantage.
The Scores:
MAGNOLIA (107) — Barroca 27, Sangalang 23, Jalalon 13, Eriobu 11, Tratter 8, Dionisio 7, Lee 7, Abueva 6, Balanza 2, Mendoza 2, Reavis 1, Escoto 0, Laput 0.
PHOENIX (93) — Jazul 21, Tuffin 17, Perkins 16, Mocon 11, Salado 8, Verano 8, Alejandro 6, Rivero 6, Muyang 0, Camacho 0, Daves 0, Lalata 0.
Quarters: 28-18, 47-57, 79-77, 107-93.