In a battle between teams desperate for a first win, Magnolia held NLEX at bay to carve out a 98-88 decision Friday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Hotshots responded to coach Chito Victolero’s plea and rose to 1-2 (win-loss) in the standings.
“We need to have that sense of urgency to bring back the old Magnolia style of playing defense. We limited them to a hundred points and that was the primary goal going into the game,” Victolero said.
Import James Farr had 24 points while Ian Sanggalang 21 for Magnolia. Paul Lee and Mark Barroca combined for just 18 points most of those came just as the Road Warriors threatened to rally.
The pair, alongside Sangalang, kept on building on the slim lead following the ejection of NLEX’s Poy Erram and returning coach Yeng Guiao.
“We need this kind of game to gain momentum. In five days, we’ll play three games. Hopefully we could go back to .500 before we face the tough ones,” Victolero said.
Tony Mitchell had 22 points and 13 rebounds in what initially looked like a promising night for NLEX. Kenneth Ighalo and JR Quinahan added 14 and 12, respectively, but couldn’t finish the job as the Road Warriors remained winless in six games.
Magnolia plays Columbian (1-3) on Sunday at the Big Dome.
NLEX, with their hopes this conference getting bleaker, faces Meralco on Wednesday next week at MOA Arena.