MANILA – Magnolia Hotshots survived a fourth quarter onslaught of June Mar Fajardo to escape with a 99-94 Game 1 victory over San Miguel Beermen in the 2019 Honda PBA Philippine Cup finals last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Paul Lee top-scored with 18 points.
Ian Sangalang and Andy Mark Barroca had 17 markers each while Jiovani Jalalon added 16 markers as the Hotshots gained a 1-0 edge in the series.
“That’s the key. We limit them under 100 points. Hindi kami puwedeng makipagsabayan sa kanila,” said Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero.
Trailing early in the first quarter, the Hotshots converted consecutive triples for a 34-25 edge before the Beermen managed to cut it to 34-30 after the first 12 minutes.
The Hotshots managed to pull away anew in the second canto on treys from Lee, Jalalon and Justin Melton but the Beermen answered with a run to surge ahead, 55-52, at the half.
Magnolia opened the third quarter with 10-0 blast from Lee, Barroca and Sangalang for a 62-55 lead. It grew further to as high as 10 points on triples from Jalalon and Melton.
The Hotshots were still on top 91-82 early in the fourth when Fajardo carried the cudgels for the Beermen to come to as close as 94-95. However, clutch hits from Sangalang and Lee sealed the win for Magnolia.
For the defending champions Beermen, Fajardo had double-double 35 points and 21 rebounds, while Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos added 18 and 13 markers, respectively./PN
