Magnolia finally got into the victory column with a dramatic 80 to 77 win over NorthPort in the PBA Season 47 Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, thanks to Rome Dela Rosa’s game-winning three with six seconds left.
The recap of Magnolia vs. NorthPort
Dela Rosa hit a three-pointer off a Jio Jalalon feed, giving the Hotshots their first win in the conference after two close losses to start the season.
NorthPort’s first loss came when Arwind Santos missed a wide-open three-point attempt.
Calvin Abueva’s efforts are not wasted, thanks to Rome dela Rosa’s efforts.
Calvin Abueva scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Hotshots, who will now face San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra, two of the league’s regular contenders.
Magnolia coach Chito Victolero stated “That sense of urgency in terms of executing, in terms of consistency, the effort and the desire, nagawa naman naming [we actually did it]”
Despite squandering a 77 to 75 lead when Robert Bolick hit a three with 53.5 seconds left, the Hotshots stayed the course.
With 39.6 seconds left, Abueva made a three-point play but missed the free throw to tie the game, and Magnolia took advantage when Kevin Ferrer missed two free throws. Dela Rosa’s three-point play was his only field goal of the game.
“Wala akong masabi [I’m speechless] about the effort of my players even in the last two games. It was about the breaks of the game the last two games and also on executing our plays in the end. Now, we did a good job on executing, especially down the stretch. We had that discipline and character,” Victolero Mentioned.
“I need each and every one of the players to contribute,” also said Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero, who spoke in a mix of Filipino and English.
“That is why we are down: you will never know when a player will get hurt.” I’m grateful [they helped].”
After battling back spasms on Sunday, Paul Lee scored 12 points, while Aris Dionisio added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Despite a calf ailment, Mark Barroca extended his run of consecutive games to 496 by scoring eight points.
Roi Sumang had scored 15 points and 12 rebounds while Santos on the other hand had scored 18 points and 12 rebounds. Jamie Malonzo had 15 points and ten rebounds in the loss and recorded his third straight double-double for NorthPort this season.
Summary of Scores
Magnolia scored 80 – Abueva 23, Lee 12, Dionisio 12, Jalalon 8, Sangalang 8, Barroc 8, Dela Rosa 3, Wong 3, Corpuz 2, Reavis 1, Zaldivar 0.
NorthPort scores 77 – Santos 18, Sumang 15, Malonzo 15, Bolick 13, Calma 7, Balanza 4, Ferrer 3, Vigil 2, Dela Cruz 0, Ayaay 0, Javier 0.
Team Scores per Quarter: 21-17; 42-33; 57-55; 80-77