Wizards cast spell on Titans, boost bid

MANILA, Philippines - Magnolia played true to form and stopped Oracle Residences’ five-game run, carving out a 77-75 victory yesterday to enhance its bid for an outright semifinal berth in the 2009 PBL PG Flex Unity Cup yesterday at the San Juan gym.

Edwin Torres, a 5-foot-8 Fil-Am guard, scored only five points, but his triple in the last 27.8 seconds shattered the 73-all count and helped power the Wizards to their third win against the same number of losses.

The Titans actually refused to give up as Rico Maierhofer scored on a tough drive, 76-75, and had a chance to snatch the win after Magnolia’s JP Alcaraz split his charities.

But Ogie Menor came through with a defensive gem, breaking the Titans’ final offensive play and the Wizards clinched the win when Maierhofer was called for a dribbling violation.

“Even before we got him, I already know that he has a game and can shoot from the outside. And so far, he has been doing well in his role with the team,” said Banal of Torres.

Despite the setback, their first after streaking to five victories, the Titans still secured the top seeding in the Final Four phase on account of its superior quotient over Magnolia and Licealiz - the only teams capable of matching their win-loss record at the end of the double-round classification phase.

Menor finished with 17 points and six rebounds while Marcy Arellano and Eder Saldua added 13 and 10, respectively for Magnolia.

The Titans rallied from a 16-point first half deficit, and 54-64 with 8:43 remaining in the contest as they outscored the Wizards, 19-9, to tie the count at 73.