Magnolia sustains its winning ways with a thriller over Blackwater in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup.
Hurt and all, Mark Barroca lifted Magnolia to an 81-77 win over Blackwater in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate on Wednesday, April 17.
Barroca played through a right wrist injury he has been nursing for more than two weeks now as he scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth period as the Hotshots nearly blew a 17-point deficit but hung tough to notch their third straight victory in six games.
This compounded the woes of the Bossing, who reeled to their fifth straight loss for a 3-5 tally.
Barroca's leaner with 7:04 remaining in the final period capped a Magnolia 11-5 rally that gave the team a commanding 67-50 cushion.
But Blackwater's James Kwekuteye had other plans in mind.
Kwekuteye, who finished with a career-high 23 points built on three triples, sparked an uprising that got the Bossing to as close as five, 76-71, after RK Ilagan’s corner trey.
That was when the Hotshots clamped down on defense anew, with Troy Rosario, Rey Nambatac and Christian David taking well-contested shots for Blackwater in the final minute.
Kwekuteye uncorked a three-pointer of his own for the Bossing to close in, 79-74, but they did not have enough time on their side.
“Noong first half, disrupted ang offense namin dahil sa defense ng Blackwater,” said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero.
“[Naging] more patient kami on offense and, at the same time, more aggressive on the defensive end to force turnovers at maka-easy points kami.”
Ian Sangalang and Calvin Abueva chipped in 10 points apiece, with the latter grabbing 13 rebounds in the low-scoring affair.
The Scores:
MAGNOLIA 81 – Barroca 19, Sangalang 10, Abueva 10, Lee 10, Laput 9, Dionisio 7, Jalalon 7, Eriobu 4, Tratter 2, Mendoza 0, Balanza 0, Ahanmisi 0.
BLACKWATER 77 – Kwekuteye 23, Rosario 20, Nambatac 9, Ilagan 7, David 7, Guinto 6, Hill 2, Jopia 2, Chua 1, Escoto 0, Suerte 0, Tungcab 0, Casio 0.
Quarterscores: 17-20, 34-34, 56-45, 81-77