MANILA, Philippines – The shots will eventually fall.

It did for Rome dela Rosa as he made up for a rough shooting performance with the game-winning three-pointer that lifted Magnolia to an 80-77 win over NorthPort in the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday, June 15.

Dela Rosa shot 0-of-7 from the field and 0-of-4 from three-point distance before he drained the clutch bucket off a Jio Jalalon dime as the Hotshots broke through the winning column after a 0-2 start.

“I could not make any shots. At least I made the one that counted the most,” said Dela Rosa, who also finished with 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

Dela Rosa admittedly grew frustrated after missing shots he normally makes but managed to retain his confidence thanks to the encouragement of his teammates and coaches.

“Thankfully, the coaches were talking to me. Mostly my teammates, they’re like, ‘If you get it, next time shoot it again. Keep shooting.’ I’ve got to give it to them. I’m just glad I made it,” said Dela Rosa.

It may have helped Dela Rosa that he missed all of his first 11 shots as his defender sagged off.

Jalalon then attracted the attention of the Batang Pier defense before he kicked the ball out to Dela Rosa, whose pitoval shot hit nothing but the net.

“That was not for me,” said Dela Rosa when asked if coach Chito Victolero drew up the play for him. “I guess we’re trying to get to attack and Jio sucked in the defense, I was open in the wing, he found me, and I made the shot.”

For Dela Rosa, he is just glad to witness Magnolia arrest its slump after it opened the season with back-to-back losses to TNT and Converge.

Enjoying a lead as big as 20 points, the Hotshots fizzled out in the endgame against the FiberXers and went scoreless in overtime.

“The last game, we should have won. It is what it is. Just happy to be back on the winning column. Hopefully, this continues,” Dela Rosa said.

Magnolia eyes a second straight win when it faces San Miguel at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Friday, June 17. – Rappler.com