Magnolia shoots for series equalizer

BUOYED by its first victory in the best-of-seven Finals last Wednesday, Magnolia shoots for another win and try to send the series against San Miguel Beer back to square one as both squads tangle in Game 4 of the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup title series on Friday, February 9, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Magnolia shoots for series equalizer

After dropping the first two games of the championship series and allowing the Beermen to score over 100 points in each occasion, the Hotshots played with fervor and energy in their 88-80 victory in Game 3 last Wednesday.

Magnolia accomplished the win after playing true to its character, being the tournament’s top defensive team heading to the Finals.

San Miguel’s 80 points were in fact the lowest in a PBA Finals by any team since Barangay Ginebra’s 74-83 loss to Meralco in Game 3 of Season 46 Governors’ Cup title series.

That output also marked San Miguel’s lowest game score this conference since dropping a 94-90 decision to Magnolia in the elimination round as per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon.

Still, one win doesn’t give any advantage at all for Magnolia, said coach Chito Victolero.

“If we limit them to under 90, we have a big chance of winning,” said Victolero, whose team is in search of its first PBA title since ruling the 2018 Governors’ Cup.

“But this is just one win. We’re not gonna celebrate, but we’ll rest, recover and prepare for Game 4.”

The Hotshots sure need to do just that, considering that the Beermen are locked and loaded from frontcourt to backcourt.

American import Bennie Boatwright characterized San Miguel’s shooting woes in Game 3 after making just 4-of-14 from the three-point zone, and struggling from the floor with his 10-of-28 overall shooting.

The Beermen also bled for every point and went on to shoot just 34.1 percent in Game 3.

But then again, San Miguel’s veteran-laden squad led by June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Ross, Don Trollano, Jericho Cruz and Jeron Teng are expected to come out with a more determined effort to try to push Magnolia to the brink with a win and a 3-1 advantage.