Antonio Hester, Magnolia deal Ginebra its first defeat in Govs' Cup

The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots dealt Barangay Ginebra its first loss in the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup after a 118-88 rout of the defending champions on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Hotshots started to pull away in the second quarter as they outscored Ginebra, 36-19, to extend their lead to 59-37 at the half.

Magnolia led by as much as 31, 113-82, at the 3:10 mark of the final frame on a Calvin Abueva layup.

Antonio Hester flirted with a triple-double as he tallied 28 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists, while Mark Barroca scored 21 points. Paul Lee and Calvin Abueva chipped in 18 points each.

Justin Brownlee tallied 22 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, while Scottie Thompson had 19 points. Christian Standhardinger and Jamie Malonzo made 17 and 12 points, respectively.

With the win, Magnolia improved to 2-3 while Ginebra went down to 3-1.

Magnolia will face the NLEX Road Warriors next on Thursday, while Ginebra will face the San Miguel Beermen on Friday.

The scores:

Magnolia 118 – Hester 28, Barroca 21, Abueva 18, Lee 18, Dela Rosa 9, Wong 6, Jalalon 5, Dionisio 5, Escoto 5, Ahanmisi 3, Corpuz 0.

Ginebra 88 – Brownlee 22, Thompson 19, Standhardinger 17, Malonzo 12, Gray 8, Pinto 8, Mariano 2, Pessumal 0, R. Aguilar 0, Pringle 0, Tenorio 0.

Quarters: 23-18, 59-37, 87-71, 118-88.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News