Romeo Travis happy to see Magnolia learn its lesson from Meralco collapse

MANILA, Philippines—As far as Romeo Travis is concerned, Magnolia has learned its lesson in handling big leads heading into the crucial stretches of the game.

Travis said the Hotshots’ 96-80 victory over NorthPort was the result of their reflection after their bitter 98-92 loss to Meralco in their previous game.

Magnolia led most of the game against the Batang Pier and it held its ground until the final buzzer to get to a 1-1 record in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

“I was happy that we were playing defense and sharing the ball, being patient on offense when we didn’t have the opportunity to run,” said Travis Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“This sort of thing could carry us throughout this conference you know. We’re being patient on our offense and we’re finding the best shot, not just any shot.”

The Hotshots trailed the Batang Pier 23-16 at the end of the first but they quickly and brutally turned things around with a 37-8 second quarter to take a 53-31 lead en route to a blowout.

This was a far cry to what Magnolia did against the Bolts when it got stunned in the fourth quarter after holding the lead for most of the game.

“Hopefully everybody learned from the lesson and that they continue to grow, we all continue to grow, because we just learned that there are no easy games,” said Travis, who had a near triple-double of 17 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.

“Even when you get up a lot of points, there’s a lot of minutes in this game so there’s always an opportunity for any team to come back. You just have to keep your foot on the gas and keep going.”