Magnolia clamps down on defense to beat GlobalPort and seize semis slot

The Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok dug their way out of a 20-point hole, clamping down on defense in the second half to earn an 86-79 victory against the GlobalPort Batang Pier for a semifinals berth in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup.

Mark Barroca led Magnolia off the benchh with 17 points, while Paul Lee and Marc Pingris paced the starters with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Ian Sangalang rounded up the Magnolia players in double figures with 11 points and eight boards.

GlobalPort still carried a 45-34 lead at the half, before Magnolia made a run to trim the deficit to just two with four minutes left after an Aldrech Ramos split, 53-51.

A Mark Barroca triple finally pushed Magnolia ahead, as the Hotshots grabbed a 61-59 edge heading into the final period.

Magnolia continued the late onslaught with a 6-0 run, stretching their lead to eight with 10:09 to go, 67-59. They continued to sustain the lead, as Justin Melton hit a triple halfway through the quarter, 78-66.

Pringle and company were able to cut the deficit to just four with 1:52 to go, 80-76, but charities from Mark Barroca and Paul Lee put the game away.

Stanley Pringle carried GlobalPort with 31 points and 10 rebounds with four assists. No other starter scored in double figures, though, with Jonathan Grey coming closest with nine. Kelly Nabong, Nico Elorde, and Yousef Taha combined for 12 points off a paltry 4 of 15 clip.

Terrence Romeo had a relatively quiet night off the bench with 14 points off a 33 percent clip with six rebounds and five assists. — BAP, GMA News