By Adrian Stewart Co

The Magnolia Hotshots kept their hopes alive in the 2019 Honda PBA Philippine Cup after a 106-77 rout of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 2 of their best-of-three quarterfinal series last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ian Sangalang finished with 21 points and nine rebounds for the Hotshots; while Robbie Herndon had a career-best 18 markers and Jiovani Jalalon added 17 points, five rebounds, six assists, and five steals.

The Hotshots surged to an 11-0 start on hits from Herndon and Andy Mark Barroca.

While Barangay Ginebra managed to get as close as 15-11, the Hotshots pulled away anew to 25-16 on shots from Paul Lee and Aldrech Ramos.

Barangay Ginebra made another run early in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 37-34, but the Hotshots answered back with a rally from Jalalon and Lee to establish a 51-38 halftime edge.

The Hotshots pulled away for good in the third off hits from Sangalang, Herndon, and Rome dela Rosa as the lead reached its largest at 89-58 on free throws by Jalalon./ASC, WDJ