Magnolia outclasses Barangay Ginebra in LA Tenorio’s head coaching debut

In his first game as head coach of Magnolia, LA Tenorio steered the Hotshots to an 80-73 victory over his former team, Barangay Ginebra, on Sunday in the opening game of the PBA’s 50th season at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Hotshots looked set for an easy win as they held a 63-48 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Barangay Ginebra mounted a rally to close the gap and challenge their former player.

After James Laput’s jumper gave Magnolia their biggest lead, Japeth Aguilar ignited a Ginebra run, followed by Jeremiah Gray and RJ Abarrientos hitting 4- and 3-pointers respectively. Zavier Lucero stopped the momentum, but Troy Rosario trimmed the deficit again to 65-59.

Magnolia then pushed back as Lucero drilled a triple following Barroca’s jumper, and Jerom Lastimosa’s layup extended the Hotshots’ lead to 13 points, 72-59, with less than six minutes remaining.

By the 4:31 mark, Magnolia led 75-63 after a Javi Gomez de Liaño triple, but Stephen Holt’s free throws and Sonny Estil’s jumper brought Ginebra within eight points with under three minutes left.

Rome dela Rosa completed a three-point play and helped Magnolia hold off Barangay Ginebra en route to their first victory of the Philippine Cup.

Despite the spotlight on his first head coaching gig, Tenorio said the win was more about the players.

"I guess they really wanted to give this first win sa akin, and I really appreciate my players. I hope this will be the start of a good journey," Tenorio said.

"It's not about me, it's for the players, it's for the Magnolia team."

"Ako lang tinitingnan dito but they have to see that the bigger picture is really the team of Magnolia. I'm just here to guide them," he added.

Zavier Lucero led the Hotshots with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals, while Lastimosa and Gomez de Liaño added 14 points each. Rome dela Rosa contributed 12 points.

Stephen Holt, meanwhile, led Barangay Ginebra with 16 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, and a steal, while Gray and Rosario added 13 and 12 points respectively. Rookie of the Year RJ Abarrientos chipped in 11 points.

Scores:

Magnolia 80 – Lucero 17, lastimosa 14, Gomez de Liano 14, dela Rosa 12, Sangalang 9, Barroca 7, Laput 5, Dionisio 2, Lee 0, Verano 0, Alfaro 0, Escoto 0.

Barangay Ginebra 73 – Holt 16, Gray 13, Rosario 12, Abarrientos 11, Estil 9, J.Aguilar 5, Cu 3, Torres 2, David 2, Thompson 0.

Quarters: 23-14, 36-30, 61-48, 80-73.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News