Magnolia and Terrafirma traded haymaker after haymaker with the final bell about to ring, but only one had to come out triumphant on this Thursday night thriller.
And it was the Hotshots who did, escaping with a 99-98 decision thanks to the endgame heroics of Shabazz Muhammad to get above .500 once more in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate.
The former NBA veteran finished with 20 points, none bigger than his runner against Andreas Cahilig for the go-ahead basket with 7.8 seconds left as a response to Paolo Hernandez’ triple that lifted the Dyip in the lead.
He then helped out defensively afterwards, clamping down on Antonio Hester to limit the options of Stanley Pringle and force the veteran guard to a tough shot, although the ball slipped away from his hands as time expired.
“It was an ugly win for us tonight, but a win is a win, we gotta move on and keep going,” said ‘Bazz,’ who also overcame early foul trouble.
While Muhammad nailed the most important basket of the night, there should be no denying that Magnolia wouldn’t get into that position in crunch time had it not been for the efforts of sophomore wing Zav Lucero and Paul Lee.
With the Hotshots staring at a 95-91 deficit, Lucero helped chip away as much by scoring from underneath off a Mark Barroca find with 1:04 to go.
Lee would come in with a shot so big, hitting a four following a wild sequence to give themselves a 97-95 lead with 21.6 seconds remaining.
Yet their hard-fighting counterparts responded just six seconds later, with Hernandez nailing a stepback trey to give Terrafirma the lead back.
But then came Muhammad with the clutch play, showing — and proving — why Coach Chito Victolero and Co. deemed it best to let go of Glenn Robinson III in the middle of the conference and bring in the 31-year-old.
“The numbers are there, which were double-doubles. But we changed because of this kind of game,” the champion bench tactician offered. “We want somebody to take charge down the stretch, like Bazz.
“If you saw, in the last four, five minutes of the game we wanted him to take over the game, we want him to make his move, and let’s see kung saan kami pupunta. ‘Yun ‘yung gusto naming makita sa kanya,” he added.
Muhammad did what he’s expected to, bringing his team to the triumph that hiked their record to 4-3 to rise to third in Group A behind the 6-1 TNT and Meralco (5-2) — teams that fought earlier in the day and saw the former win.
Coincidentally, Magnolia will face the Tropang Giga on Tuesday, September 17, still at Ninoy at 7:30, with Victolero and his wards looking not just to get payback for losing their first game last August 29, but to win to stay in the Top Four.
“We’re trying to create some separation from the other teams. That’s why I think our game on Tuesday will be very crucial,” he said. “The goal is to go to the quarters … We’ll try to win every game as much as possible.”
Lucero finished with 17 points and five rebounds to earn Player of the Game honors, while Calvin Abueva added 15 markers and seven boards in the win.
Together, the Hotshots put to naught the effort of their former reinforcement in Antonio Hester, who finished with 39 points and 16 rebounds for Terrafirma.
The wide-bodied forward played with an extra push against his ex-team and that boded well for his present ball club, as they all made the perennial contenders sweat sans Christian Standhardinger and Juami Tiongson due to injuries.
Unfortunately, Coach Johnedel Cardel’s squad fell just short of completing the big upset, ultimately absorbing their seventh loss in as many outings.
Put to waste by the very narrow loss as well were the 18 points — spiked by four treys — poured by Kevin Ferrer, and the 17 produced by Pringle.
With three games left to play in the group stage, Terrafirma will try to salvage some sense of pride when it battles Converge, TNT, and Meralco.
The Scores:
Magnolia 99 – Muhammad 20, Lucero 17, Abueva 15, Ahanmisi 9, Lee 9, Sangalang 8, Dionisio 8, Barroca 7, Mendoza 3, Eriobu 2, Reavis 1, Laput 0, Alfaro 0, Balanza 0.
Terrafirma 98 – Hester 39, Ferrer 18, Pringle 17, Hernandez 7, Olivario 6, Ramos 5, Cahilig 3, Sangalang 3, Carino 0, Hanapi 0.
Quarterscores: 17-20, 48-44, 69-71, 99-98.
