The Magnolia Hotshots began the PBA Governors’ Cup restart on a winning note, fending off a tough Blackwater Bossing, 107-101, on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The win, Magnolia’s fourth straight, avenged the Hotshots’ 89-81 loss to Blackwater earlier in the conference and gave them solo possession of first place in Group B. The loss dropped the Bossing to 3-4 and in fifth place.
What Happened?
The two teams continued from where they left off in their first game as they went at each other in a tight opening frame. Blackwater, though, won the first quarter, 25-23, thanks in part to nine free throws off Magnolia fouling a three-point shooter—twice on Mike DiGregorio and once on Sedrick Barefield. The Hotshots then started opening up in the second canto behind Chris Koon, Jerom Lastimosa, and KJ Buffen, who helped build what would’ve been a 53-46 lead heading into intermission had it not been for a buzzer-beating four-pointer from RK Ilagan.
Magnolia continued to seize control after halftime behind Lastimosa and Zavier Lucero, who spearheaded a 31-25 third quarter for the Hotshots to zoom ahead, 84-75, after three. Lucero and Buffen gave Magnolia a couple of 13-point leads—the biggest in the game—early in the fourth, but the Bossing crawled to within 100-97 with 3:18 left on a Barefield triple. Buffen answered with a five-point cluster to retake control for the Hotshots up until the final buzzer.
Who Stood Out?
Lastimosa was a stud once more for the Hotshots, tying Buffen for team-high honors with 24 on a 9-for-15 clip. He added 3 rebounds and 7 assists. Buffen, meanwhile, put up 20 rebounds on top of his 24 points. Lucero contributed 17, while Chris Koon proved to be a spark off the bench, tallying 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Blackwater, on the other hand, got a boost from Barefield, who finished with 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals and appeared ready for a fourth-quarter takeover until Mark Barroca clamped down on him. DiGregorio, meanwhile, had 15 points to spark the Bossing.
3 Keys to the Game
- Inside scoring. The Hotshots scored nearly half their points in the paint—50 in total—behind the inside incursions of Buffen, Lucero, and Lastimosa, who kept taking it to the heart of the Blackwater defense. The Bossing, in contrast, only had 38 points in the interior as they settled more on jumpers.
- Bench play. Blackwater’s starters actually outscored their Magnolia counterparts, 78-51, with Barefield and Kentrell Barkley accounting for 44. However, the Hotshots bench came in and vastly outplayed the Bossing’s second unit, outscoring it, 56-23, behind 24 from Lastimosa, 9 each from Koon and Yukien Andrada, and 7 apiece from Ian Sangalang and Javi Gomez de Liaño.
- Rebounding. Magnolia dominated the glass, 55-37, and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to Blackwater’s 13. This advantage allowed the Hotshots to control the battle of possessions and get a 12-9 advantage on second-chance points.
Next Up for the PBA
Saturday, October 10, 2026 | Ynares Center Antipolo
Macau Giant Pandas vs. Terrafirma Dyip (5:15 p.m.)
TNT Tropang 5G vs. San Miguel Beermen (7:30 p.m.)
