Magnolia's Nick Rakocevic drops 45 to stop Terrafirma Dyip

Reinforcement Nick Rakocevic posted 45 points and 25 boards to lead the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots to a 100-92 win against the Terrafirma Dyip on Wednesday in the 2022 PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Rakocevic added three blocks, two assists, and two steals in his all-around performance to give the Hotshots its first win in the conference.

The Hotshots led by 15 in the third period before the Dyip came back to lead by one point, 92-91, with 2:59 left in the fourth quarter. From then, though, the Hotshots made their comeback and eventually grabbed the win.

Jio Jalalon and Ian Sangalang were the other two players who scored in double digits for Magnolia with 12 and 10 points each.

Lester Prosper registered 41 points and 19 rebounds in the Terrafirma loss, while Juami Tiongson added 19 points.

Magnolia (1-0) will face Converge (1-0) on Saturday, while Terrafirma (0-2) will try to bounce back against Rain or Shine (0-2) on Sunday.

The scores:

Magnolia 100 – Rakocevic 45, Jalalon 12, Sangalang 10, Lee 9, Corpuz 9, Barroca 8, Wong 2, Dionisio 2, Dela rosa 1, Ahanmisi 0, Meedoza 0.

Terrafirma 92 – Prosper 41, Tiongson 19, Munzon 8, Cabagnot 6, Cahilig 4, Gomez de Liano 4, Ramos 4, Camson 3, Gabayni 3, Alolino 0, Calvo 0, Mina 0, Balagasay 0.

Quarters: 29-26, 59-54, 80-71, 100-92

—JMB, GMA News