Magnolia def NorthPort, 109-91 [Season 47 Commissioner’s Cup | October 16, 2022]

Magnolia continued with its winning ways by dismantling NorthPort, 119-101, Sunday night in the elimination round of the PBA Season 47 Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Aranea Coliseum in Quezon City.

The lopsided victory gave the Hotshots their 5th win in as many games while the loss was the third for the Batang Pier in 6 starts.

Nick Rakocevic once again stood tall for the Hotshots as the 24-year old Serbian-American import dropped game-highs of 26 points and 14 boards to go with 4 assists and 2 blocks in 40 minutes of action.

“0-5 kami in this game, buti nakabawi agad. Good start is something coach Chito (Victolero) has always been saying. We have to start strong in the games,” said Magnolia lead assistant coach Jason Webb during the post-game presser.

“Luckily naman, the last few games, we started out strong, we’ve gotten the lead, once we’ve gotten the lead, the players that we have, they know how to handle it. It’s a recipe for success. You’d rather be leading than trailing after the first quarter,” he added.

Best Player of the Game Mark Barroca added 13 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists and steal in 25 minutes of play.

“Shot selection kami kasi assists ang emphasis ni coach. Ang score hindi lang nanggagaling sa isa. Kahit nga import namin, di naman talaga scorer. Parang role player at lahat kami nag-be-benefit,” said Barroca.

Jerrick Ahanmisi, Jio Jalalon and Ian Sangalang fired 10 points each while Jackson Corpuz and Paul Lee chipped in 9 and 7 markers, respectively.