Magnolia overcomes Mikey Williams’ 39 points, 10 threes to take Game 3 of PH Cup Finals

The Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots made their way back into the PBA Philippine Cup Finals series after defeating the TNT Tropang Giga, 106-98, to take Game 3 of the best-of-seven series on Sunday in Bacolor, Pampanga.

The Hotshots have now won their first game of these finals and trail 2-1.

Paul Lee led Magnolia with 21 points while Ian Sangalang added 20 markers alongside seven rebounds and five assists in the win.

They also got strong performances from Mark Barroca (16 points) and Calvin Abueva (14 points and eight rebounds) – and they needed every one of those points to overcome a spectacular performance from TNT rookie Mikey Williams.

Williams scored 39 points, built around 14-for-25 (56-percent) shooting from the field and 10-for-18 (55-percent) shooting from three-point range in another stellar showing for the first-year player.

According to PBA statistician Fidel Mangonon, Williams now holds the record for most three-pointers made in a single game by a rookie with 10. He eclipsed the previous mark of eight made three-pointers set by fellow rookie Calvin Oftana earlier this season.

The Tropang Giga rookie scored 21 and 28 in the first two games of the series, both wins.

Magnolia got into a groove late in the first period as they rattled off 12 unanswered points to turn a 20-14 TNT lead into a six-point advantage of their own, 26-20.

Barroca and Jerrick Ahanmisi both knocked down triples during that run while Abueva capped it with two free throws with six seconds left in the period.

The Hotshots were able to keep the Tropang Giga at bay in the second period as they went into the half still leading by six, 52-46.

Lee began to heat up in the third period, particularly during a stretch where he scored 10 of his team’s 12 points. A basket from Abueva, meanwhile, allowed them to extend their lead to 14 points, 75-61, at the 4:51 mark of the quarter.

But Williams would take over at this point, knocking down back-to-back threes to make it an eight-point game before the game took an unfortunate turn after TNT’s Troy Rosario suffered an injury.

Rosario took a bad fall after Magnolia’s Jackson Corpuz made contact with him while he was up in the air, knocking him off balance. He tried to break his fall with his hand, but dislocated the pinky finger on his left hand.

Rosario exited the game with the injury while Corpuz was ejected from the game, incurring a both a technical foul and a flagrant foul.

Luckily for TNT, Williams picked up where he left off as he knocked down two more triples, the latter of which got them back to within three, 80-77.

Barroca, though, scored the final basket of the third, 82-77, before TNT went silent to start the fourth quarter.

Magnolia then scored 13 straight points, courtesy of free throws from Sangalang, and baskets from Rafi Reavis and Jio Jalalon, before Barroca contributed the last seven points on his own.

Barroca first hit on a floater off a screen from Reavis, then followed it up with an and-one play off a fastbreak opportunity. He capped it by finishing off a Jalalon pass in transition, 95-77.

The TNT scoring drought that lasted more than four minutes.

Unsurprisingly, it was Williams who scored TNT’s first basket of the fourth canto at the 7:41 mark but they were still facing a 16-point margin, 95-79, at that point.

That basket, though, sparked a string of nine unanswered points for the Tropang Giga, who chipped away to come back to within single digits, 95-86.

They would come even closer late after a Williams basket and free throws from Jayson Castro made it a six-point game, 98-92. Williams followed it up with another triple – his 10th of the game – to make it a one-possession game, 98-95, with 1:11 remaining.

But Barroca came up huge, sinking another floater for a 100-95 lead. After a missed three from Castro, Rome dela Rosa then took care of two free throws to make 102-95 for the Hotshots.

TNT’s Dave Marcelo then knocked down another triple, 102-98, with 24 seconds left.

But dela Rosa and Sangalang both proved steady from the charity stripe to secure the win in the endgame.

Barroca finished with nine points in the fourth period.

Jalalon also reached double figures in scoring 11 points while Reavis finished with five points and nine rebounds while also playing some key defensive minutes opposite Williams in the fourth.

On the TNT side, RR Pogoy scored 14 points while JP Erram posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards.

The scores:

Magnolia 106 - Lee 21, Sangalang 20, Barroca 16, Abueva 14, Jalalon 11, dela Rosa 9, Corpuz 7, Reavis 5, Ahanmisi 3, Melton 0.

TNT 98 - M. Williams 39, Pogoy 14, Erram 10, Castro 9, Heruela 8, Marcelo 7, K. Williams 4, Reyes 3, Rosario 2, Khobuntin 2, Montalbo 0, Exciminiano 0, Mendoza 0.

Quarterscores: 26-20, 52-46, 82-77, 106-98.

—JMB, GMA News