Magnolia stayed part of the crowded group on top of the PBA Philippine Cup standings after escaping Phoenix, 83-80, in a tense Halloween showdown at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.

The Hotshots nearly lost command after Phoenix stormed back late, but Magnolia delivered the key defensive stop in the final seconds to preserve the win and move to 4-1 in the eliminations.

Jerom Lastimosa calmly sank two free throws to push the Hotshots ahead by three, then Magnolia shut down the Fuel Masters’ last shot attempt to secure the result.

Magnolia leans on defense as Phoenix rallies late

“Going into the game, priority namin talaga eh depensa. Lagi kaming naguusap that we can defend well, and offense will follow,” Lastimosa said after helping Magnolia hold the fort in crunch time.

Magnolia coach LA Tenorio echoed the message, crediting Phoenix for a relentless push in the fourth quarter. “If I’m gonna describe Phoenix, I said they’re relentless. They’re not gonna stop playing until the final buzzer. They showed it in the final quarter,” he said.

“We lost the fourth quarter, good thing we had the lead going into the fourth and good thing we won because of the stop,” Tenorio added.

Phoenix comeback falls short in crunch time

Phoenix trailed by as many as 14 before newly activated guard RR Garcia drilled clutch shots, including a deep three that cut the gap to 80-81 with 38.9 seconds left. But Magnolia stayed composed, and Tyler Tio missed a turnaround jumper in the final seconds that would have forced OT.

Lastimosa led Magnolia with 14 points, while Ian Sangalang and Zav Lucero added 11 and 10. Paul Lee knocked down all three of his triples for nine points as he continues recovering from injury.
Newly acquired Chris Koon debuted with five points and one assist.

Magnolia remained tied with TNT, Rain or Shine, and NLEX at 4-1, while Phoenix slipped to 1-4.