Jio Jalalon is glad that his Magnolia Hotshots broke out of their uncharacteristic showing two nights ago, to send their Philippine Cup quarterfinal clash with Barangay Ginebra to sudden death, Monday evening.
Last Saturday, Magnolia lost by 11 points in the opener of their best-of-three series, that saw them shoot just 35 percent from the floor. This time, the Hotshots churned out a masterful performance from start to finish, en route to the 106-77 victory.
“Nagising na kami lahat.
“Yung mga mistakes namin, nakapag-adjust na kami. Kaya ayun, nakuha namin itong game na to,” said Jalalon, who was one of the catalysts of the win with 17 points, six assists, and five rebounds.
For Jalalon, what made the difference in Game Two was their better ball movement. The Hotshots only had 14 assists back in Game One but had 20 on Monday, which allowed them to shoot 44.7 percent from the field.
“‘Di kami nag-share ng ball, kanya-kanya kami. Ngayon ang ganda ng ikot ng bola namin – six to eight passes bago kami tumitira,” said the floor general out of Arellano University. “Maganda yung napag-aralan din talaga namin.”
But more importantly, Jalalon is proud of how his side brought back the stinging Hotshots defense, which saw them force the crowd darlings to commit a total of 20 turnovers, which they converted to 26 points.
“Binalik namin yung defense namin, kung paano yung Magnolia Hotshots basketball, kaya ayun nakuha namin rhythm namin lahat,” the native of Cagayan de Oro stressed.
Jalalon and the Hotshots’ confidence has skyrocketed heading into Wednesday’s deciding Game Three, thanks to the win. But the third-year guard made it known that they aren’t satisfied, as they haven’t achieved anything yet.
“Bumalik na yung rhythm namin lahat, may kumpiyansa na kami. Tumaas na kumpiyansa namin. Pero ‘di pa kami masaya kasi may Game Three pa.”
