Magnolia rode the hot hands of Mark Barroca to beat rival Ginebra, 91-80, and remain undefeated in the PBA On Tour at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Sunday night.
The Hotshots opened the payoff period with a three-pointer by Jackson Corpuz to erect a 12-point lead. However, Kim Aurin powered the Barangay’s 12 unanswered points with six on that run for a 70-all deadlock with 8:20 left.
The scoreline was knotted at 74 when Barroca decided to take over the game. He scored nine points in Magnolia’s 15-6 blast capped by Paul Lee’s long bomb for the 89-80 advantage with 1:59 remaining in the game.
James Laput then put the final nail in the coffin at the 1-minute mark with a putback off a Lee miss for the 91-80 margin.
The Hotshots kept in pace with Rain or Shine at 4-0 while pushing the Barangay down to 0-2.
Barroca ended with 20 points, five assists, and three steals while Jerrick Ahanmisi added 17 points off five triples.
Jio Jalalon had 12 points and nine rebounds, Corpuz got 11 points, while Laput was active with eight points and 12 rebounds.
Ian Sangalang had a triumphant return after a six-month battle with thyroid issues, making four points and four rebounds in 16 minutes of play.
Raymond Aguilar tallied an efficient night from the field for the Barangay, going 9-of-10 for 22 points, while Aurin chipped in 12 points, 10 in the fourth frame.
Magnolia will gun for 5-0 on Friday against TNT, while Ginebra looks for its first victory on Wednesday against Phoenix. Both games will be held at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The Scores:
Magnolia 91 – Barroca 20, Ahanmisi 17, Jalalon 12, Corpuz 11, Mendoza 8, Laput 8, Lee 7, Sangalang 4, Dela Rosa 4, Murrell 0
Ginebra 80 – R.Aguilar 22, Aurin 12, Pinto 11, Pessumal 11, Gray 8, David 6, Mariano 5, Dillinger 3, Gumaru 2, Onwubere 0, Salcedo 0, Cu 0
Quarterscores: 25-23, 44-38, 67-58, 91-80
