One meltdown was more than enough for Magnolia.
The Hotshots on Friday avoided a repeat of their monumental collapse two nights ago by holding off the cellar-dwelling Blackwater, 94-78, to successfully rebound in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup at the DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
Five players scored in double figures for Magnolia, which made sure it would recover from a sorry loss against Meralco on Wednesday that saw the team fumble what supposedly was a commanding 13-point lead in the last two minutes of the game.
Mark Barroca tallied 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting and seven assists in 27 minutes off the bench, while Ian Sangalang also put up 16 to go with three rebounds in Magnolia's fifth win in six games.
Paul Lee overcame a cold start to finish with 15 and five rebounds, and Calvin Abueva recorded an all-around double-double of 14 markers, 10 boards, three dimes, three blocks and a steal.
Jerrick Ahanmisi also contributed nicely off the bench with 12 on 3-for-8 shooting from long range.
"We were very frustrated after that game," head coach Chito Victolero said in a mix of English and Filipino during the post-game presser. "But it's both good and bad. It was bad because we controlled the game for 46 minutes, then in the last two minutes we lost our focus, relaxed and lost. It's good because it happened early in the conference, and this was a chance for us to correct our mistakes immediately."
"It wasn't just a physical breakdown, it was also a mental one," he added.
Early on against Blackwater, however, Magnolia looked like a team that was still reeling from the sting of that Bolts comeback rather than one that was bent on bouncing back in a big way.
The Hotshots allowed Blackwater to get off to a hot start, as Kelly Nabong's second three-pointer in just the first quarter punctuated a 20-10 start that saw the Bossing bury six threes in the first 7:52 of the game.
Magnolia cleaned up its act later on, though. In the second quarter, Victolero's wards chipped away in a slow second quarter to take a 44-41 lead at the half as both squads combined to make just 11-of-43 shots (25.5 percent) before the break.
The third frame became the turning point for the Hotshots, who got easier looks on offense as their defense tightened. A 14-4 start made it a 58-54 advantage with 6:58 to go after halftime, as Magnolia hit 4 3s during that quarter while forcing Blackwater to miss nine of its first 11 shots during that span.
Magnolia pushed the lead to as many as 19 at one point, but the team, wary of another colossal breakdown in the clutch, still fielded at least three of its five starters for significant stretches with under two minutes to go in the game to secure the win as a late Blackwater surge cut the lead to as low as 10 a couple of minutes earlier.
"There was a sense of urgency there," Victolero said about his decision to field most of his starting lineup late in the fourth quarter. "I did not want that [collapse] to happen again. It was my promise to my players that it would not happen again.
"That was my fault in the last game," the 2018 Coach of the Year winner added. "I take that responsibility. I told my players that it was my fault, it was the coaching staff's point why we lost. But we move forward."
As a result, the Hotshots improved to 5-1 in the standings for a firmer hold of the third spot. A battle with current league-leaders TNT (4-0) awaits on Sunday.
"The good thing is that this is a team of veteran players that can easily move forward. They knew it was just one game," Victolero remarked. "After this, we will try to prepare for our game against Talk 'N Text."
The Bossing, on the other hand, continued their freefall in the standings after dropping to 0-6.
Nabong spearheaded Blackwater with 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting along with 14 boards, while Mike Tolomia put up 16 on 6-for-13 shots to go with three boards, three assists and a steal in 23 minutes off the bench.
THE SCORES:
MAGNOLIA (94) -- Sangalang 16, Barroca 16, Lee 15, Abueva 14, Ahanmisi 12, Jalalon 7, Corpuz 6, Dela Rosa 4, Brill 2, Reavis 2, Melton 0, Pascual 0, Dionisio 0.
BLACKWATER (78) -- Nabong 19, Tolomia 16, Amer 9, Daquioag 8, Canaleta 6, Paras 6, Enciso 5, Escoto 2, Golla 1, Torralba 0, Desiderio 0
Quarter Scores: 22-26, 44-41, 70-57, 94-78.
EXTRA DRIBBLES
- A suffocating Hotshots defense forced Blackwater to record more turnovers (17) than assists (16).
- Blackwater hit six of its 12 first 3s but only made 5-of-31 shots from downtown the rest of the way.
NEXT GAMES
- Blackwater vs. Terrafirma on Sunday, Sep. 5, at 2:00 p.m.
- Magnolia vs. TNT on Sunday, Sep. 5, at 7:00 p.m.