Hotshots buck Lee’s absence to beat KaTropa

Mark Barroca leads Magnolia. PBA IMAGES

Magnolia moved closer to top seed San Miguel after tripping TNT, 91-83, in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Despite losing Paul Lee to injury anew, the Hotshots managed to grab their fourth straight win for a 5-1 card to close in on the Beermen (5-0) while the KaTropa dropped to 3-3.

Magnolia held a 12-point lead, 80-68, on a Aldrech Ramos jumper with 7:59 left in the fourth, but TNT wasn’t done for the night as it closed in, 86-80, after Moala Tautuaa capped off a 12-6 run with a layup 1:51 left.

The KaTropa even managed to get within four, 87-83, on Ryan’s Reyes’ three-point but Mark Barroca sealed the win with a mid-ranger jumper off the Hotshots’ timeout and two freethrows after Troy Rosario’s bungled three.

“It’s all about being disciplined on defense,” said Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero in Filipino. “We talked about our defense on transition and on our halfcourt defense, so we did a good job especially on the halfcourt area.”

The Hotshots clamped down on the KaTropa, forcing them to a subpar 38.1 percent shooting from the field and 21.9 percent, 7-of-32, from the arc.

Magnolia played without Lee in the crucial stretch after the combo guard limped out of the game with 7:51 left in the third with a sprained his left ankle.

“The players stepped up, Justin [Melton] stepped up big in this game, Jio [Jalalon], and especially MB [Barroca] because he’s quite inspired because he’s getting married again.”

Barroca led Magnolia with 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists while Melton added 14 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals.

Marc Pingris and Ian Sangalang also finished in double figures with 10 points apiece for the Hotshots.

Rosario had a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double to lead TNT.