[Saba Sports News] The Magnolia Hotshots managed to avoid an awkward situation in the PBA Governor’s Cup on Wednesday night, withstanding tough resistance from NorthPort Batang Pier with no outside help to win 105-94.
(Source: Getty Image)
The game wasn’t decided until the final minutes, and Magnolia made a clutch play to seal the win and complete the first round of group play with a 3-2 record.
“The minimum goal we set was to win more than 50 percent. We are happy to have reached this goal, but not satisfied. We will continue to improve in the second round, “said Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero.
Paul Lee, Zavier Lucero and Glenn Robinson III came up big at the end to help Magnolia overcome stiff resistance from NorthPort in the absence of outcoms Venky Jois and Wil Navarro.
Victolero added: “We’ve played against an all-Filipino team before and it’s really difficult because the other team will try their best. During the course of the game, we have to remind the players to be competitive on both ends of the floor.”