MANILA – Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots showed their pre-season dominance was no fluke. They scored a 110-102 victory over TNT Tropang Giga at the start of the 2023-2024 PBA Commissioner’s Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Reinforcement Tyler Bey led the way with a double-double of 31 points and 20 rebounds to go with three steals and an assist, while Andy Mark Barroca and Paul Lee added 19 and 17 markers, respectively, for the Hotshots.
The 25-year-old Bey, who played for Dallas Mavericks in the NBA before, said that it took time for him to adjust to the style of play in the PBA, but he is grateful to the trust of his coaches and teammates.
“It feels great. I mean I have to overcome a lot of adversity,” Bey said. “I did not have a great start in the first few quarters, but the coaches and my teammates are there for me.”
Bey made his presence felt early with his inside connections as they cruised to a 26-16 lead. The lead reached 33-22 in the second frame on five straight points by Aris Dionisio, but the Tropang Giga managed to cut it to nine at the half.
The Tropang Giga mounted a huge run in the third quarter as they cut the deficit to as low as five points, but the Hotshots got conversions from Bey in the fourth quarter as they widened the lead to 96-81.
The Tropang Giga made its last push late in the game as they cut the deficit to 102-108 on conversions from Calvin Oftana and Glenn Khobuntin, but a thunderous dunk from Bey with under a minute left secured the win for the Hotshots.
“We need to be consistent. In the first half we are leading in the game, pero meron kaming time na nagre-relax, and that is the time that they (the Tropang Giga) have the rallies,” said Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero.
“Credit also to this guy (Bey) and credit to the whole team. They played hard the entire game,” he added. “(Bey) is banged up the entire game and I told him to enjoy the game because it is part of the system also, to enjoy this game even with pressure.”
Quincy Miller finished with a double-double of 37 points and 14 rebounds, Oftana chipped in 28 markers with seven three-pointers, while Kelly Williams contributed 14 points for the Tropang Giga./PN
BOX SCORE:
MAGNOLIA 110 – Bey 31, Barroca 19, Lee 17, Dionisio 9, Sangalang 9, Dela Rosa 8, Laput 8, Jalalon 5, Ahanmisi 4, Tratter 0, Eriobu 0.
TNT 102 – Miller 37, Oftana 28, K. Williams 14, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Castro 5, Cruz 5, Khobuntin 4, Ponferrada 3, Reyes 0, Tungcab 0, Heruela 0, Aurin 0.
Quarterscores: 26-16, 56-49, 81-73, 110-102.
