Sangalang leads Magnolia past winless Alaska

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MANILA, Philippines—Magnolia kept Alaska at bay for a 95-90 win Sunday night at Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Ian Sangalang scored nine of his 19 points in the final frame to help the Hotshots snuff out the Aces’ dogged tries at a comeback.

“We needed to match or surpass Alaska’s energy because we know that their backs were against the wall,” Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said of the stand which added to Alaska’s woes this conference.

“We couldn’t afford to relax,” he added as the defending champions improved to 3-1.

Romeo Travis had a second-best 17 points while Mark Barroca and Paul Lee added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Vic Manuel scored 22 points while import Frank House had 20 for Alaska, which remained winless after five games.

Magnolia plays unbeaten San Miguel Beer on Friday at MOA Arena in Pasay.

“It’s going to be very hard. We just have to rest [well],” Victolero added.

Alaska, meanwhile, hopes to dig itself out of the miserable rut when it goes up against skidding Rain or Shine next Sunday also at Araneta Coliseum.