Magnolia’s Paul Lee. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–Magnolia displayed steely nerves in a tight end-game versus Meralco on Friday night to pull out a crucial 97- 88 overtime victory in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The Hotshots used a 5-0 run in the extra period and then held the enemy scoreless until the final buzzer to claim a fifth-straight victory and secure a spot in the playoffs with a 6-3 win-loss record.
“Going into overtime, we told ourselves that we need a win like this going into the playoffs,” said Mark Barroca, who had 20 points.
“Against Converge, we also lost. It was (an overtime game) like this. Going into the playoffs, we thought we’d encounter games like this. Perhaps even tougher, like a double-overtime game. So we needed to be mentally tough. I’m just thankful that we had a collective effort,” he went on.
Paul Lee led the way with 21 points. Jio Jalalon added 19 while Ian Sangalang added 12 more spiked with 15 rebounds as Magnolia tied Barangay Ginebra.
Chris Newsome had 24 points, while Aaron Black and Bong Quinto had 13 each as Meralco fell to 5-4.
Magnolia’s victory also sorted out a possible complication in the race, as it formalized TNT as the No. 2 seed on the leaderboard.
The Tropang Giga, defending champions of this centerpiece tournament, claims the other twice-to-beat protection in the playoff.
San Miguel clinched the No. 1 seed last Wednesday after surviving also-ran Terrafirma, also in overtime.
The Scores
Magnolia 97 – Lee 21, Barroca 20, Jalalon 19, Sangalang 12, Dionisio 10, Abueva 7, Reavis 3, Laput 3, Wong 2, Corpuz 0.
Meralco 88 – Newsome 24, Black 13, Quinto 13, Hodge 9, Jose 9, Almazan 8, Maliksi 4, Banchero 3, Pascual 3, Baclao 2, Caram 0.
Quarters: 22-20, 45-37, 63-60, 86-86, 97-88 (OT)