Hotshots sustain hot start

MANILA, Philippines — Pacesetting Magnolia delivered a tour-de-force performance on the road and overpowered Phoenix, 118-99, to stay spotless in the PBA Philippine Cup last night at the Zamboanga City Coliseum.

The Hotshots asserted their defensive might while banking on a lethal inside-outside combo to storm ahead the Fuel Masters and set the tone for their fourth straight win. Phoenix fell to 1-3.

Ian Sangalang spearheaded the attack inside the paint and punched in a team-high 20 points as Paul Lee anchored the sniping from deep with a 3-of-5 clip from the three-point arc in a 17-point outing.

Zavier Lucero also produced 17, scoring from both short and long-range distances, to go with 11 rebounds even as hometown bet Marc Barroca shot 18, including two triples, plus six boards and five assists.

Overall, the Hotshots knocked down 13 treys – six more than Phoenix’ output – and held the Fuel Masters to 10 markers less than their tally in their previous upset of Meralco.

The Hotshots unleashed a 20-5 salvo built around three treys and a four-pointer from Jerick Ahanmisi to break away in the third, 65-48.

Meanwhile, TNT sets out to get its grand slam quest on course after dropping its opening assignment when it battles Converge (2-2) today in the main fare of a doubleheader in Antipolo City.