PBA: Magnolia guts out Game 3 win vs. San Miguel in finals

Veteran guard Mark Barroca flashed his vintage form to steer Magnolia to an 88-80 win against shorthanded San Miguel in Game 3 of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals clash on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Hotshots avoided sinking to a deep 0-3 hole after bagging their breakthrough victory in the series, while also snapping the Beermen’s 11-game winning streak.

For the first time in this best-of-seven series, Magnolia was in the lead heading to the halftime break as the Hotshots held a slim 42-39 cushion.

The Hotshots then kept it close in the next two quarters, but not without a fight from the Beermen, who were missing the services of two key players in Jericho Cruz and Terrence Romeo.

CJ Perez soared for an and-one dunk to cut the deficit to three, 60-63, to open the fourth. 

However, an 11-0 barrage led by three straight triples from Aris Dionisio and Paul Lee saw the Hotshots zoom to a 76-62 lead.

Bennie Boatwright tried to breathe life to San Miguel by sinking five straight points to slice the gap to a single digit, 75-84, with 2:29 left to play.

Barroca then put the finishing kick to help keep Magnolia’s championship dream alive.

The 37-year-old guard finished with 20 points on top of four rebounds, six assists, and two steals while import Tyler Bey, Ian Sangalang, and Dionisio chipped in 11 markers apiece. 

Paul Lee also shone off the bench, tallying 12 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. 

Boatwright paced the Beermen as the reinforcement churned out a double-double effort of 27 points and 13 rebounds alongside three steals and one assist while June Mar Fajardo chimed in with 11 markers and 13 boards.

Scores:

Magnolia 88 –Barroca 20, Lee 12, Bey 11, Sangalang 11, Dionisio 11, Jalalon 10, Dela Rosa 7, Abueva 6, Escoto 0, Laput 0, Reavis 0.

San Miguel 80 – Boatwright 27, Perez 16, Fajardo 11, Teng 10, Trollano 7, Lassiter 4, Brondial 3, Ross 2, Enciso 0, Tautuaa 0.

Quarters: 24-15, 42-39, 63-58, 88-80.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News