PBA: Magnolia beats Barangay Ginebra for bounce-back Governors' Cup win

Magnolia bounced back in the PBA Governors' Cup with an 88-73 victory over Barangay Ginebra on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Hotshots improved to 2-3 in the standings, while the Gin Kings dropped to the same record.

After taking a slim 25-24 lead at the end of the first quarter, Magnolia broke the game open in the second period, building a 53-43 halftime advantage behind Zavier Lucero, who erupted for 22 of his game-high 24 points in the opening half — his highest-scoring half of the conference.

Magnolia maintained control after the break, tightening its defense to keep Barangay Ginebra at bay en route to the 15-point win.

"I have to give credit to my players. They really came out for this game. It was a disappointing loss last Friday, and we came out aggressively on defense this game," Magnolia head coach LA Tenorio said.

"I told them that this game is a defensive game. Knowing Barangay Ginebra, they really take pride in their defense. I told them that we're gonna bleed for every point, but defensively, we have to make them work as well."

Lucero also finished with 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block for Magnolia. Import KJ Buffen added 23 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Ian Sangalang chipped in 16 points.

Stephen Holt paced Barangay Ginebra with 17 points, while import Riley Grigsby added 15. RJ Abarrientos was held to just six points in the loss.

Scores:

Magnolia 88 – Lucero 24, Buffen 23, Sangalang 16, Lastimosa 5, Koon 5, Alfaro 4, Barroca 4, Andrada 3, Dela Rosa 2, Gomez de Liano 2, Lee 0, Jopia 0.

Barangay Ginebra 73 – Holt 17, Grigsby 15, Rosario 9, J.Aguilar 7, Abarrientos 6, Abis 6, Cu 5, Pinto 4, Gray 4, Go 0.

Quarters: 25-24, 53-43, 75-57, 88-73.

—JKC, GMA News