The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots turned to its defense in silencing an offensive-minded Eastern, hacking out a key 107-78 victory over the guest team in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday, January 26, at the Ynares Center Antipolo.
The Hotshots improved to 5-6 to remain in hunt for the last two remaining quarterfinal slots, while the Hong Kong-based team dropped to 7-4.
“The word is survival, so we tried to approach this game with a sense of urgency. That’s our call, the defense, with our backs against the wall and in a do-or-die situation, we go to our strength,” Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero said.
Ricardo Ratliffe and Ian Sangalang set the tone for the Hotshots, who broke free from a slim 18-17 lead in the first quarter and turned it into a 42-22 cushion in the second period, thanks to a 24-5 run led by the import and the veteran big man.
Another veteran in Mark Barroca shot back-to-back baskets to make it a 58-38 separation in the third, but the seasoned guard had to sit out for some time after hurting his eye early in the third period.
That set the stage for the youngsters to pick up the slack and step up in the brief absence of Barroca, as Peter Alfaro, Zav Lucero and Jerom Lastimosa knocked down important baskets, including the latter’s four-point shot that sent the Hotshots to a 65-44 cushion.
Lucero then dropped seven of their last 11 points to end the third, enjoying a 78-56 advantage.
Eastern, which was coming off a dominant 134-110 victory over the Terrafirma Dyip, tried to salvage the game with Steven Guinchard converting four straight points, but those were not enough to break the momentum for Magnolia.
Rome dela Rosa buried a three-pointer before completing a three-point play for a sizable 94-70 lead as Lastimosa put on the finishing kick.
Ratliffe led the way with 25 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block, while Lastimosa and Lucero each posted 20 markers as they held Eastern to its lowest output in the tournament.
Chris McLaughlin paced Eastern with 20 points, while Glen Yang and Kobey Lam chipped in 14 and 13 markers each. (GMA Integrated News)