Carlo Pamintuan 5y

Travis flirts with triple-double as Magnolia survives Ginebra for 2-0 series lead

Philippines Basketball

The Magnolia Hotshots are on the verge of putting an end to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel's two-conference title reign.

Magnolia edged defending champion Ginebra 101-97 Monday to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five semifinals series at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Magnolia once again played tremendous defense. Down by 12 points with 3:45 remaining in the game, Barangay Ginebra rallied behind prolific import Justin Brownlee. Sol Mercado and LA Tenorio sank critical 3-pointers to cut Magnolia's lead to 99-97 with 24 seconds remaining.

Ginebra was forced to foul Paul Lee but the Kings got a break when he only made one of two free throws, leaving 17.9 seconds on the clock. Down 100-97, Ginebra got two clean looks but Tenorio and Brownlee missed both.

Romeo Travis hit on one more free throw to seal the game. Travis led the Hotshots with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.

Sangalang and Dela Rosa were named the Best Players of the Game.

"I work hard in practice and my teammates keep me confident," Sangalang said. "I'm happy to help Magnolia get a win but it's not done yet."

Sangalang's 17 points in Game 2 was a needed rebound after he failed to score in their elimination round meeting and only chipped in seven points in Game 1 of the semifinals. 

Dela Rosa contributed on both ends of the court with 11 points and strong defense matched against Brownlee for much of the night. 

"Our coach just preaches defense," Dela Rosa said. "It's not just me but all of us." 

The first half of the contest featured big scoring runs from both teams. After a tight first quarter, Magnolia tried to establish control of the ball game early in the second as they dominated the scoring inside the shaded area.

The Hotshots went on a 13-4 run to open the second period capped by a basket from PJ Simon to give them a dozen point lead, 34-22, with 7:45 remaining at the half.

However, Greg Slaughter started making his presence felt inside by scoring on put-backs while Brownlee torched the net from long-distance with a couple of three-point shots in the latter part of the second period as they inched their way back into the ball game.

Ginebra could have taken the lead at the half but Brownlee missed a 3-point attempt to allow Magnolia to hang on to a 47-46 advantage.

Magnolia did not have double-digit scorers as they were led by Sangalang and Travis with eight points apiece but 10 of them contributed points in the first 24 minutes. On the other side, Ginebra was led by Brownlee and LA Tenorio who had 12 and 10, respectively.

The Hotshots got back into a groove in the third quarter led by their guards as they reestablished a double-digit lead, 69-59, off a basket from Rome Dela Rosa before settling for a 75-58 advantage heading into the final quarter.

Ginebra played the final 9:18 of the game without coach Tim Cone on the sidelines. Cone was ejected due to back-to-back technical fouls. The winningest coach in PBA history complained about a no-call on what he thought was a foul on Mark Barroca when he stole the ball away from Aljon Mariano. Cone stormed the court for the first technical foul and refused to depart, leading to the second. Barroca only made one of two free throws for an 82-73 lead.

The ejection of their head coach was not enough to spark a rally for Ginebra as Magnolia punished them in the shaded area led by Travis and Sangalang.

Brownlee led Ginebra with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists while Ginebra's Twin Towers combined for 29 points and 14 rebounds. Scottie Thompson grabbed 15 big rebounds in the game but only finished with seven points on 1 of 7 shooting from the field.

THE SCORES

Magnolia 101 - Travis 25, Sangalang 17, Lee 14, Dela Rosa 11, Barroca 9, Jalalon 8, Reavis 6, Melton 5, Simon 5, Herndon 1.

Ginebra 97 - Brownlee 31, Tenorio 15, Aguilar 15, Slaughter 14, Thompson 7, Mercado 7, Mariano 4, Chan 2, Caguioa 2, Ferrer 0.

Quarters: 21-18, 47-46, 75-68, 101-97

EXTRA DRIBBLES

Magnolia's defense was the key to the win as they limited Ginebra's passing. The Kings average 28.7 assists per game but they were limited to 19 in Game 2.

The Hotshots shared the ball better as they had 26 assists.

After missing an extended period due to a foot injury, Joe Devance was in uniform for Barangay Ginebra but did not see action in the game.

NEXT GAME

Game 3 on November 14 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

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