The Magnolia Hotshots improved to 3-1 in the PBA Philippine Cup standings after surviving a gritty challenge from the Terrafirma Dyip, 104-93, on Friday at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
What Happened?
Terrafirma put up a gallant stand against Magnolia in this one, even winning the first quarter and entering the fourth ahead, 76-75, thanks to a strong finish to the third by Aljon Mariano. Back-to-back treys from Raffy Verano gave the Hotshots the lead back to start the fourth, and that proved to be enough as Magnolia kept the Dyip at bay until the final buzzer, with Mark Barroca putting the finishing touches on a hard-fought win.
Who Stood Out?
Mark Barroca may not be starting anymore, but he showed yet again why he should be finishing games, firing six of his 17 points in the final four minutes to help the Hotshots survive the Dyip’s gallant stand. Jerom Lastimosa, who took over Barroca’s spot as starter, was solid as well, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
A major mover of Terrafirma’s gallant stand was the recently acquired Mariano, whose eight-point outburst to end the third helped the Dyip retake the lead. Mariano finished with 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Paolo Hernandez had himself a great game as well, firing 16 markers and grabbing 10 boards to go along with three assists, two steals, and one block.
3 Keys to the Game
- Strong finish. By most metrics, Magnolia looked headed for an upset loss. But the Hotshots mustered just enough to finish the game strong, starting with Verano’s back-to-back triples to start the fourth and Barroca hitting timely buckets down the stretch.
- Free throw shooting. Terrafirma outscored Magnolia 34-17 from the line, but the advantage could’ve been more if the Dyip hadn’t missed so many freebies. In all, Terrafirma shot 34-for-51 from the charity stripe, while Magnolia went 17-for-28.
- Three-point shooting. The Hotshots weren’t particularly hot from downtown in this game, but they did hit seven treys on 21 attempts, including Verano’s two to start the fourth. In contrast, Terrafirma hit just one in 23 tries. The 18-point difference from downtown proved huge in the end.
Next Up for the PBA
The PBA will have three games on tap on Sunday, with one on foreign soil. Over at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will try to make it two wins in a row when they take on the Titan Ultra Giant Risers in the first game. The second game will see the Meralco Bolts stake their three-game winning streak against the NLEX Road Warriors. Then, later in the night, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel will take on the San Miguel Beermen in Dubai as the league holds its first out-of-country game in years.
Rain or Shine vs. Titan Ultra (5:15 p.m.)
NLEX vs. Meralco (7:30 p.m.)
Barangay Ginebra vs. San Miguel (10:00 p.m.)
