Magnolia locked the top spot in Group B heading into the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals after getting even with Rain or Shine by way of a 107-103 decision on Wednesday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Hotshots erased an eight-point halftime deficit through a 33-point third-quarter barrage for the 86-81 advantage, taking the lead for good en route to finishing as the no. 1 team in a truly competitive pool with a 7-3 win-loss record.
With this, Coach LA Tenorio and his men will be squaring off against the fourth-seeded team in Group A in no less than the defending conference champions in TNT in a best-of-5 showdown between long-time corporate rivals.
The Elasto Painters, on the other hand, fell to 5-4 and are currently tied with Phoenix Super LPG as both teams carry identical records, thus making their meeting this Friday, October 23, a battle for the second spot in the group.
(C) PBA Images
“The prize of being No. 1 will be facing RHJ and TNT,” Tenorio quipped. “I’m not gonna lie that I’m not happy where we are right now. I mean, looking at the other group, kahit naman sino ang makalaban mo roon, same quality of basketball.
“But of course, TNT, kumbaga, may extra sauce sila. They’re very seasoned, they’re very, very well-coached, and ‘yung experience nila sa championship. For the quarterfinals, we have to be ready and be up to the challenge,” he added.
Five players finished in double figures for Magnolia, led by Javi Gomez de Liano with 19 points behind a 6-of-10 clip from the first arc and five rebounds.
Peter Alfaro went 6-for-6 from the field, including 2-for-2 from four, for 17 points. KJ Buffen and Jerom Lastimosa each produced 16 points and combined for seven of the team’s 27 assists, while Yukien Andrada chipped in 11.
“The way they played, especially the bench players, they played like starters,” lauded Tenorio as the younger ones delivered this time to stretch their winning streak to six. “Ayun ‘yung maganda sa culture ng team namin ngayon.”
(C) PBA Images
Adrian Nocum, on the other hand, led all scorers with 25 points for Rain or Shine, which suffered a second loss in its last three outings after a fiery four-game winning run that included a 98-97 escape against the Hotshots.
Aaron Fuller made 18 points and six rebounds while Felix Lemetti added 11 markers for the Elasto Painters, who had one last chance to send the game into extra time with Deo Cuajao launching from the four-point line but missed.
But that final play irked Coach Yeng Guiao as the team believed a foul should have been called since the rookie got in contact with Chris Koon while in the act of shooting. No whistle was blown as Magnolia left with the four-point win.
The Scores:
Magnolia 107 – Gomez de Liano 19, Alfaro 17, Buffen 16, Lastimosa 16, Andrada 11, Sangalang 7, Barroca 5, Koon 5, Taha 4, Dela Rosa 3, Verano 2, Jopia 2, Laput 0, Gomez 0.
Rain or Shine 103 – Nocum 25, Fuller 18, Lemetti 11, Cuajao 9, Clarito 8, Caracut 8, Malonzo 8, Villegas 7, Santillan 4, David 3, Belga 2, Asistio 0.
Quarterscores: 32-26, 53-61, 86-81, 107-103.
