Games today:
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5:15 p.m. — Blackwater vs Titan Ultra
7:30 p.m. — San Miguel Beer vs Rain or Shine
Magnolia banked on a hot second half explosion to take control of the game en route to an 85-70 victory over Terrafirma in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Trailing by two points at halftime, the Hotshots outscored the Dyip, 22-14, in the third canto, setting the tone for their second straight win that raised their record to 2-3.
Import Clint Chapman finished with a double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds with three assists and two blocks for Magnolia, who held Terrafirma to just 28 points the whole second half.
“It was a slow start for both teams offensively. We wanted to work on our defense this week and I think that was what the slow start was all about but we settled in and started working better on our offense better in the second half and we took care of business,” Chapman said.
Magnolia kept Terrafirma without a field goal in the first five minutes of the final period to pull away and build a 17-point lead, 83-66, with 1:24 left on a pair of charities by Zav Lucero.
Lucero had 13 points and eight rebounds while Rome dela Rosa scored 11 for the Hotshots.
Terrafirma, which kept the game close in the first half and led by seven, 42-35, with 3:24 left in the second quarter, suffered back-to-back losses after an impressive 3-0 start.
Jerrick Ahanmisi, who just came off a quarterfinal finish in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Singapore, had 21 points but shot 7-of-20 from the field for the Dyip.
Reinforcement Mubashar Ali had 18 markers and 18 boards while Maverick Ahanmisi and Joseph Eriobu added 11 points each in a losing effort.
Meanwhile, unbeaten Rain or Shine seeks a fifth straight win when it battles surging San Miguel Beer today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Elasto Painters are the lone team that has yet to surrender a game after four outings and look to keep that way after the 7:30 p.m. tussle.
Rain or Shine has been playing great basketball and will be marching into the match carrying the momentum of a historic 56-point thrashing of Blackwater, 151-95, last Tuesday.
But Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao knows the next 48-hour stretch will be the team’s biggest test.
“Actually, our toughest games are in the second half of our schedule. That’s the real test if we’ll enter the playoffs or not,” said Guiao, whose squad will take on Converge on Friday.
On the other hand, the Beermen have found their groove and won two straight since bringing in replacement import Justin Patton for a 3-2 mark.
San Miguel won over Barangay Ginebra, 85-82, last Sunday.
In the other match, the Bossing seek to get back from a humiliating defeat in a showdown against Titan Ultra at 5:15 p.m.
Both teams sport 1-3 slates.