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| Tyler Bey led Magnolia's charge to stay unbeaten despite Stokley Chaffee's NLEX debut. PBA Images |
PASIG—Magnolia banked on its patented defense on NLEX in the second half to score a 99-72 win in their PBA Commissioner's Cup game on Friday night at the PhilSports Arena.
After the Road Warriors seemed to be playing solid basketball with its new import Stokley Chaffee in the first half and the early moments of the third quarter, the Hotshots broke loose in the final 7:40 of the third to pull away.
After NLEX last tasted the lead at 56-53, Magnolia went on a 15-0 run to take a 68-56 advantage before ending the third ahead by 14, 74-60.
The Hotshots then outscored the Road Warriors, 25-12, in the fourth to seal the blowout.
Tyler Bey made 23 points, six rebounds, three blocks, and one steal to lead Magnolia, which remained unbeaten this conference at 5-0.
Mark Barroca added 19 points, five rebounds, nine assists, and three steals, while James Laput had a career-high 16 points with two rebounds and one assist.
Jio Jalalon, who sparked Magnolia's third-quarter dominance, came close to a triple-double with 11 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists alongside four steals.
Chaffee made a good account for himself in his PBA debut with 23 points, 19 rebounds, one assist, three blocks, and two steals, but NLEX still dropped to 2-3 despite the performance marred with eight turnovers.
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