Late run pushes Magnolia past Ginebra to stay unbeaten
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MANILA, Philippines — Magnolia went on a late run to fend off Barangay Ginebra, 89-79, and remain undefeated in the PBA Philippine Cup Sunday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The Hotshots, behind their closer Paul Lee, outscored the Gin Kings, 10-2, inside the final three minutes to notch their third straight win.
Lee scored six of his game-high 22 points during that pivotal stretch.
Ian Sangalang, the hero in Magnolia’s buzzer-beating 84-82 victory over Alaska on Wednesday, added 17 points while Mark Barroca scored 15.
Calvin Abueva also tallied 15 points on top of nine rebounds in another efficient outing off the bench for the Hotshots.
Ginebra, which fell behind by 16, came to within two after a basket by Stanley Pringle with 3:36 to go.
Pringle, who also had 22 points, scored again to keep his team within close distance at the 2:08 mark but the Gin Kings went scoreless the rest of the way.
The Kings, who are the favorites to repeat after bolstering their roster with the addition of talented big man Christian Standhardinger, have now dropped their second game in three outings.
