MANILA – Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots continued their uprising in the PBA Philippine Cup, posting an 81-77 triumph over Blackwater Bossing on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate, Manila.
Andy Mark Barroca anchored the Hotshots’ offense with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals as they secured their third consecutive win to improve to a 4-2 win-loss slate.
Calvin Abueva chipped in a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds to go with one block, while Ian Sangalang and Paul Lee also contributed 10 markers apiece for the streaking Hotshots.
Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero said they managed to turn things around in the second half after being forced to turnovers by the aggressive defense of the Bossing in the first half.
“Our offense (in the first half) was disrupted by the defense of Blackwater, we have a lot of turnovers. And I talked to my players (at the half) about execution, moving the ball, finding the open guy, and be smart on the execution,” Victolero said.
The one-time PBA champion coach also noted that their current winning streak can be credited to their much-competitive practices the past few days with the return of their injured players.
“Our competitiveness, our effort, our aggressiveness on both ends of the floor were key factors in our three-game winning streak,” Victolero said. “Nung natatalo kami, I just told our veteran players that we need to be serious, and it started in practice.”
James Kwekuteye finished with a career-high of 23 points, including three outside conversions, while Jeth Troy Rosario added 20 markers as the Bossing dropped to 3-5 record.
Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings’ Jamie Malonzo and NorthPort Batang Pier’s John Michael Calma are set to be sidelined in the PBA Philippine Cup after sustaining separate injuries during their encounter last Sunday.
Malonzo was diagnosed with a torn left calf injury and will miss around six to eight weeks, while Calma has been ruled out for 10-to-12 months with an anterior cruciate ligament tear injury./PN
BOX SCORE:
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.
