Hotshots oust Road Warriors
Star Hotshots finished strong against the NLEX Warriors, 101-93, in the PBA Governor’s Cup last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Paul Lee with the drive. Photo from PBA Images.
Before Star and NLEX tied at 57-all in the third quarter, Hotshots fell short at the first and second quarter, only scoring 36-44 at the half.
Juami Tiongson pulled up an early three in fourth quarter, aiding NLEX trail at 72-75.
Justin Melton fired threes giving the lead score 80-74, adding to Paul Lee’s 15 points in the period giving Star a 95-83 lead.
For the NLEX Warriors, Alex Mallari also shot three while trying to fill the gap of the leading team down at 86-95.
Bida player of the game was Mark Barroca, scoring 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5/12 field-of-goals which also helped Hotshots win the game.
On another note, Star’s Marc Pingris and NLEX’s Larry Fonacier were the newest members of PBA’s 5,000-point club.
Despite the victory of the Hotshots, their top-four fate and twice-to-beat advantage would still depend on the San Miguel Beermen-Meralco Bolts game.
SCORES:
STAR 101 – Simon 16, Lee 15, Acox 14, Ramos 14, Barroca 13, Dela Rosa 8, Melton 6, Pingris 6, Sangalang 4, Jalalon 3, Brondial 2, Reavis 0.
NLEX 93 – Fuller 16, Mallari 13, Fonacier 12, Alas 9, Al-Hussaini 9, Quinahan 9, Lastimosa 9, Taulava 5, Tiongson 5, Soyud 3, Villanueva 3, Baguio 0, Rios 0.
Quarter scores: 17-25, 36-44, 75-69, 101-93
