Magnolia erases 20-point deficit to steal Game 1 vs. San Miguel

The Magnolia Hotshots dug themselves out of a 20-point hole to stun the San Miguel Beermen, 105-103, in Game 1 of their best of seven finals series on Friday.

Ian Sangalang paced Magnolia with 29 points, while Aldrech Ramos added 15 off the bench. Mark Barroca and Rome Dela Rosa chipped in 14 and 11 points, respectively.

The Beermen, who were up big midway through the game, found themselves hanging on to just a three-point lead at the 2:31 mark after a June Mar Fajardo make, 100-97.

Off a timeout, the Hotshots went to Rafi Reavis on a putback, before Mark Barroca completed a steal of Arwind Santos for another basket and a one-point edge, 101-100, with 1:23 left in the game.

The Beermen did not call for time, and instead settled for a Santos jumper that failed to find the bottom of the net.

Paul Lee then secured the crucial board, before finding Ian Sangalang for a basket and a three-point advantage.

SMB head coach Leo Austria sued for time, going to Marcio Lassiter for a quick triple to tie the game anew. With 33 seconds left, Magnolia went to Sangalang again, and the big man was fouled by Fajardo for a trip to the line.

Sangalang hit two pressure-packed charities with 16 seconds remaining, putting pressure on the Beermen to tie or win the game.

The Beermen then called for a break to setup, but Alex Cabagnot missed from deep. Jio Jalalon had a chance to seal the deal from the stripe but missed both charities.

Luckily for Magnolia, Santos’ catch and shoot failed to fall, letting the Hotshots steal the game.

San Miguel relied heavily on their starters, with their starting five scoring all but one point. June Mar Fajardo had 31 points and 18 boards but with 11 turnovers, while Alex Cabagnot added 27 markers. Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos had 21 and 19 points, respectively. — BAP, GMA News