Paul Lee delivered in crunch time to power the Magnolia Hotshots to a 106-97 victory over the NorthPort Batang Pier in their PBA Philippine Cup clash on Saturday at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur.
Lee scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, including two crucial four-pointers that helped turn the tide in favor of Magnolia. He was backed up by Zav Lucero, who led the team with 20 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists, and two blocks.
Mark Barroca added 15 points, seven assists, and four rebounds, while Peter Alfaro chipped in 13 points. Aris Dionisio and Jerom Lastimosa also contributed 10 points each as Magnolia bounced back from their first loss of the conference and improved to 7-1.
NorthPort fell to 1-6 despite a strong showing from William Navarro, who tallied 27 points and 13 rebounds along with four steals and three assists. Sidney Onwubere added 19 points and nine boards, while Jio Jalalon scored 16 points against his former team. Joshua Munzon had 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
NorthPort held a 10-point lead late in the third quarter, 73-63, but Magnolia closed the period with an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to one. The game remained close early in the fourth before Magnolia unleashed a 20-5 run to take a 106-93 lead, capped by Lee’s four-point bombs and Dionisio’s three-pointers.
That run proved enough to seal the win and hand NorthPort its sixth consecutive loss.