By REYNALD MAGALLON
Magnolia vented its ire on Terrafirma and immediately got back on the winning track with a 104-91 victory over hapless Terrafirma in the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
The Hotshots went on a good start and never looked back from there to cruise to the wire-to-wire win that also allowed them to close in on the coveted quarterfinals bonus.
Magnolia regained the solo lead and improved to an 8-1 record, historically enough to assure them a place in the Top 4 spots.
Import Tyler Bey led the attack with 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists while Paul Lee fired 16 on five triples to help Magnolia bounce back from a stunning 113-110 loss against Rain or Shine.
Ian Sangalang also had 18 points and nine rebounds while Jio Jalalon chipped in 13 for the quick starting Hotshots who built a double-digit spread right on the opening frame, 28-16.
Magnolia showed no letup in the ensuing quarters and even stretched the lead to as high as 31 points before head coach Chito Victolero emptied his bench and gave his reserves some burn time.
Meantime, Johnathan Williams flirted with a triple-double as Phoenix torched NorthPort in the final frame to come away with a 113-104 victory.
Williams put up a monster effort of 39 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists against seven turnovers to preside over a huge fourth quarter explosion that saw the Fuel Masters outscore the Batang Pier, 26-13, to pull away for good.
