Magnolia kept its playoff hopes up after surviving Phoenix, 110-104, in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Thursday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The Hotshots looked poised to cruise to the win after establishing a 14-point lead with less than six minutes to spare, but had to repel a hijack attempt that saw the Fuel Masters get to within four, 108-104, with 37.6 seconds left.
Lady Luck, though, sided with the crew when Kai Ballungay’s supposed hand-off to RJ Razul for the potential game-tying four-pointer didn’t materialize as the ball slipped in his hands, messing up the play drawn up by their coaches.
A perfect trip to the foul line by Mark Barroca afterward sealed the triumph for Magnolia, who improved to 4-6 to go up to no. 9 in the standings behind another 4-6 team in San Miguel, which beat them the last time out, 85-78.
“Kung anuman yung chance na natitira sa amin, we’ll try to grab it,” said head coach Chito Victolero, whose team’s best finish could be at 6-6 should they sweep Hong Kong Eastern and then Meralco next week.
Zav Lucero led the Hotshots with 25 points and five rebounds as the young forward nailed key hits in the fourth before the opposition’s uprising.
Ricardo Ratliffe flirted with a 20-20 line as he finished with 22 points and 19 rebounds with former NBA player and good pal Ha Seung-jin in attendance.
Barroca supplied 22 points, six rebounds, and four rebounds while Peter Alfario chipped in 14 points in a surprise starting gig as Victolero still tries to find solid options from his roster while they continue to deal with Paul Lee and his injury.
“We try to find guys that can fill up the shows for Paul Lee. We’re having a hard time to score, we need somebody to step up,” the champion mentor said.
Wasted by Phoenix’s loss, meanwhile, was the lifting done by Donovan Smith as he had 40 in the loss that snapped their two-game winning streak.
Veteran Jazul and Jason Perkins provided 15 points apiece while youngster Kai Ballungay added 13 markers and five rebounds for the Fuel Masters.
Phoenix will next take on NLEX in a battle of 3-6 teams on Sunday, January 19, 7:30 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Scores:
Magnolia 110 – Lucero 25, Ratliffe 22, Barroca 22, Alfaro 14, Abueva 6, Lastimosa 6, Dionisio 5, Eriobu 5, Sangalang 4, Dela Rosa 1, Balanza 0, Mendoza 0, Reavis 0.
Phoenix 104 – Smith 40, Jazul 15, Perkins 15, Ballungay 13, Rivero 6, Tio 5, Manganti 4, Muyang 2, Tuffin 2, Verano 2, Garcia 0, Alejandro 0, Camacho 0, Daves 0, Salado 0, Ular 0.
Quarterscores: 29-34, 50-50, 83-76, 110-104.
