MANILA, Philippines – Magnolia sent Barangay Ginebra crashing back to earth and turned what fans expected to be a toe-to-toe “Clasico” duel into a blowout after a 118-88 rout at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, February 12.

Antonio Hester churned out monster numbers of 28 points, 18 rebounds, and 9 assists as the Hotshots cruised to their second straight win and dealt the Gin Kings their first loss in the PBA Governors’ Cup after a 3-0 start.

Imposing his will in the first half where he posted a near-triple-double of 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists, Hester anchored a second-quarter rally that allowed Magnolia to pull away.

The Hotshots led by just 5 points at the end of the opening quarter, 23-18, before they unleashed a momentum-changing 27-9 run – with 9 points coming from Hester – to open a commanding 50-27 advantage.

With locals Mark Barroca, Calvin Abueva, and Paul Lee also scoring in double figures, Magnolia coasted the rest of the way and enjoyed a lead as big as 31 points.

Barroca finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals off the bench, while Abueva chalked up 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Lee also tallied 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Hotshots, who have begun to pick up steam after losing their first three games of the conference.

Ginebra narrowed the gap to 16 points going into the final frame, 87-71, but Magnolia banked on a 12-3 spurt capped by a Jio Jalalon and-one to restore a 25-point, 99-74 advantage.

The Hotshots’ lead peaked at 31 points off an Aris Dionisio bucket with two minutes left, 115-84.

Missing his first five field goals, Justin Brownlee came alive in the second half for the Gin Kings and netted 22 points on top of 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

But Ginebra dug itself too deep of a hole to come back from and fell to 4-1, losing ownership of the top spot.

Christian Standhardinger returned from a two-game absence caused by a knee injury with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists in the loss, while Scottie Thompson had 19 points and 3 blocks.

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.

Barangay 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.

– Rappler.com