MANILA, Philippines – Justin Melton went on a scoring onslaught in the 3rd quarter to help the Magnolia Hotshots bag their 4th straight win following a 91-83 win over the TNT KaTropa in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum Saturday, January 27.

Magnolia held a slim 47-45 lead after the first two quarters before Melton waxed hot, scoring 12 points off two triples as the Hotshots outscored the Katropa 27-17 in the period for a 74-62 advantage heading in the final frame.

The Hotshots preserved their lead throughout the payoff period until a Ryan Reyes triple with 59.7 left in the game trimmed TNT’s deficit to just 4 points, 83-87. 

Fortunately, Mark Barroca’s floater was counted in following a goaltending violation from Troy Rosario as Magnolia held on to maintain its grasp at second place behind a 5-1 card.

Barroca starred with an all-around outing of 20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals while Melton submitted a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Hotshots, who missed the services of Paul Lee in the 4th quarter after the star guard suffered a bad fall in the 3rd. 

Marc Pingris and Ian Sangalang conjoined for 26 points and 13 rebounds for Magnolia.

“I give credit sa lahat ng players dahil sa effort na binigay. Sabi ko lang ‘wag lang tayo ma-outwork ng (to all the players for their effort. I just said that we should not get outworked by) Talk ‘N Text and we have a good chance of winning this game,” said Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero.

Moala Tautuaa had one of his best games of the season after tallying 16 points and 5 rebounds but that went for naught with the KaTropa dropping to 3-3. 

Troy Rosario turned in 15 points, and 12 rebounds while Jayson Castro added 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in the loss. 

The Scores:

Magnolia (91): Barroca 20, Melton 14, Pingris 13, Sangalang 13, Jalalon 8, Ramos 7, Lee 5, Reavis 5, Simon 3, Dela Rosa 3, Herndon 0, Brondial 0.

TNT (83): Tautuaa 16, Rosario 15, Castro 14, Pogoy 11, Torres 7, Williams 7, Semerad 6, Reyes 5, Garcia 2, Carey 0.

Quarter scores: 26-20, 47-45, 74-62, 91-83.

– Rappler.com