Magnolia pulled away late to beat a hard-fighting Converge, 83-71, to chalk up their second win in as many outings in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup before a solid crowd at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday evening.
Zavier Lucero nailed a trey with 4:56 left to play before Rome Dela Rosa struck the dagger also from deep inside the final minute, as the Hotshots finished the game with a 12-6 assault toward gaining a share of the early lead with Meralco.
The squad is off to their first 2-0 start since opening the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup at 7-0 and will look to make it three in a row when they take on San Miguel next Wednesday, April 16, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
(C) PBA Images
“Parang ang aga pa but of course, it’s a good sign. Hopefully, we can do that again,” said Coach Chito Victolero. “We’ll just try to take it one game at a time.”
Lucero co-led the Hotshots with Ian Sangalang as the two frontcourt cogs finished with 18 points apiece and combined for 14 rebounds.
Russel Escoto was a surprise spark with 11 points in his second straight starting gig, while Dela Rosa and Calvin Abueva had at least eight points in the triumph that saw Victolero use 13 of his 15 players in a widened rotation.
“We want to have fresh legs every time,” explained the champion bench tactician. “We want our veterans, like Mark (Barroca) and Paul (Lee), to have fresh legs. Para down the stretch, we’ll have good execution.”
(C) PBA Images
The youth-laden Converge did deploy a balanced attack as well, with main man Justin Arana and Deschon Winston leading the way with 14 points each. But Magnolia, no doubt, showed better poise most especially down the stretch.
Rookie Justine Baltazar and Kevin Racal were the other double-digit scorers with 11 for the FiberXers, who fell to 1-2 following the defeat.
Coach Franco Atienza and his wards will look to get back on track when they battle Blackwater on Sunday, April 13, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Scores:
Magnolia 83 – Sangalang 18, Lucero 18, Escoto 11, Dela Rosa 9, Abueva 8, Laput 4, Barroca 4, Alfaro 4, Lee 3, Lastimosa 2, Dionisio 2, Reavis 0, Eriobu 0.
Converge 71 – Winston 14, Arana 14, Baltazar 11, Racal 11, Stockton 8, B.Santos 4, Garcia 4, Corpuz 3, Delos Santos 2, Garcia 2, Ambohot 0, Nermal 0, Santos 0, Fleming 0, Caralipio 0.
Quarterscores: 14-16, 36-33,59-56, 83-71.
