MANILA, Philippines: Magnolia turned to its solid defense in the second half to turn back Phoenix, 107-93 to register its first back-to-back victories in the PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
After allowing the Fuel Masters to score 39 points in the second period, the Hotshots made the big defensive adjustment in the second half, limiting their foes to just 36 the rest of the way to pull off the come-from-behind win.
"We had a serious talk at halftime. We allowed them to score 39 points in the second quarter and that's not us. I think that's the worst defensive quarter for us," said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero after the game as his team improved to 3-2.
Veteran guard Mark Barroca led Magnolia with a career best-tying 27 points, while Ian Sangalang followed through his 33-point night against NorthPort by churning out 23 and nine boards.
RJ Jazul led Phoenix with 21 points while rookie Kenneth Tuffin added 17, but the team fell to 2-5.
Forward Jason Perkins added 16 points but failed to contribute much after running into foul trouble.