By REYNALD MAGALLON
Magnolia pulled away and tore the game apart in the final frame to fend off a brave Blackwater fight, 105-84, in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
With the Hotshots seemingly having a hard time shaking off a desperate Bossing side, import Tyler Bey, Ian Sangalang and backup big man Joseph Eriobu unleashed a blistering 22-2 run bridging the final last two quarters to put the game away and remain perfect through six games.
Aside from that, the Hotshots also inched closer to securing their spot in the playoffs should they win against fellow streaking team and title contender San Miguel.
Staying too close for comfort was Blackwater, down by just one, 65-66, late in the the third quarter before the telling Magnolia run took the fight out of the Bossing who absorbed their six straight defeat after opening the conference with a win.
Bey led the attack with 26 points and 22 rebounds while Paul Lee added 19. Sangalang, Mark Barroca and Jio Jalalom chipped in 10 apiece while Eriobu was solid off the bench with nine.
More importantly, the Magnolia big men also managed to put the clamps down on Blackwater import Chris Ortiz who could only muster eight points on a measly 3-of-13 shooting from the field. He missed all of his six attempts from deep although he made up for it by deferring to his teammates with eight assists.
Meantime, Venky Jois made the paint his personal playground and dropped a 39-point and 21-rebound performance to power NorthPort to a 111-95 victory over the still winless Converge.
It was an all-around effort for Jois, who added six assists and four blocks for the Batang Pier side which seized control of the contest following a strong second quarter to establish a double-digit spread that it preserved until the end.
The win came on the heels of NorthPort’s morale-boosting upset win over TNT the last time out to improve to a 4-2 record in the standings.
The Batang Pier added to the FiberXers’ woes, becoming the only winless team in the conference at 0-6.
Arvin Tolentino amply supported Jois with 18 points while Joshua Munzon chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Rookies Cade Flores and Fran Yu continued to impress under head coach Bonnie Tan with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
