Magnolia is the first team through to the semifinals.
The No. 4 ranked Pambangsang Manok Hotshots pulled through in the final two minutes to eliminate pesky Blackwater Elite, 103-99, in the Quarterfinals of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
Paul Lee led the Hotshots with a double-double with 22 points and 12 assists while Romeo Travis and Ian Sangalang added 18 apiece.
Down by a point heading to the twilight zone, Magnolia racked up five straight points to go ahead and steal the game.
A three-point play by Sangalang followed by a Jio Jalalon lay-up gave the Hotshots a 100-96 lead with 1:23 remaining.
The Elite tried to hold on for dear life and managed to fight back, inching to within two, 99-101, as they headed into the final 10 seconds with ball in hand.
But Nard Pinto missed a potential game-winning trey in the dying seconds, enabling Magnolia to escape and move on to the next round.
The Hotshots will face the winner in the series between top seed Barangay Ginebra and No. 8 NLEX, who are going at it as of this report.
The Gin Kings, holding a win-once edge, are trying as well to get themselves booked in the semis as they look to eliminate the Road Warriors.
The Hotshots fired from all cylinders right away, taking a sizeable 32-19 advantage late in the opening quarter to set the tone.
They still carried a reduced 55-47 lead at the half.
However, the Elite started the second half with on a 9-2 blitz to get back in the game, trailing by only a single point, 56-57, early in the third canto to make it anyone’s game from that point forward.
