MANILA, Philippines–Magnolia grabbed control early and wielded it all game against Columbian on Wednesday night, scoring a 109-83 victory that gave the Hotshots their first winning streak in the PBA Philippine Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
The Hotshots built a 17-point bubble early in the second period and kept the Dyip within arm’s length the rest of the way, rising to 3-4 in the process to stay on target towards finishing in the upper half of the playoff bracket.
It was the sixth loss in 10 games for the Dyip, who don’t have their playoff fate in their hands as they would need to win their last outing–which would be against TNT KaTropa on Friday next week–and hope that some of the other teams lose.
The Magnolia defense held the Dyip to just 12 first quarter points and didn’t need Paul Lee to dominate the scoring for a change in pulling out the authoritative win.
Magnolia will have all the confidence it needs when it squares off with Barangay Ginebra on Sunday.