ANTONIO Hester carried the offense, while the locals flexed their defensive muscles as Magnolia frustrated NLEX, 119-103, to sustain its momentum in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Thursday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Magnolia vs NLEX recap
Hester dropped 37 points, 15 boards, and five assists, while Jio Jalalon came up one rebound shy of a triple-double with 17 points and 12 assists as he also stood at the forefront of a stingy defense that held Wayne Selden Jr. to just 11 points in the second half.
The result gave Magnolia its third straight win to improve to 3-3 and stay in seventh spot, while NLEX suffered a second straight loss after starting the conference with four straight wins.
“It’s all about the adjustments in the second half,” Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said. “We did a good job on adjusting on our defense and then sabi ko lang sa kanila, we need to get our pace, kasi yung first half is pace ng NLEX.”
“Nakuha namin yung rhythm namin,” he added. “And the big factor is Big Hes, kasi everybody’s enjoying the game, parang kasundo niya lahat, so nag-eenjoy kami na nandyan siya and at the same time, nag-eenjoy siya sa mga kasamahan niya. Yun lang naman yun eh.”
Trailing by 11, 66-55, early in the third quarter, the Chicken Timplados Hotshots tightened their defensive screws to turn the game around and build a nine-point lead heading into the final frame.
Magnolia never let up as it erected its biggest lead at 21, 108-87, after two free throws by Hester, who scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Paul Lee finished 18 points, four boards, and four assists, while Mark Barroca and Aris Dionisio added 13 points apiece. Calvin Abueva was his usual energizer self, scattering 10 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, and two assists.
Selden wound up with 25 points on 9-of-20 shooting as he failed to lead his team to victory for the second straight game since replacing Jonathon Simmons.
The scores:
MAGNOLIA 119 – Hester 37, Lee 18, Jalalon 17, Barroca 13, Dionisio 13, Abueva 10, Corpuz 4, Escoto 4, Dela Rosa 3, Ahanmisi 0, Reavis 0, Wong 0, Laput 0
NLEX 103 – Selden 25, Ganuelas-Rosser 20, Rosales 19, Trollano 16, Alas 15, Semerad 4, Pascual 2, Gabo 2
Quarterscores: 25-29, 49-50, 88-79, 119-103
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