It’s Magnolia vs Beermen

Game Wednesday

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

7 p.m. — San Miguel vs Magnolia

Magnolia overcame a 17point third quarter deficit before surviving Rain or Shine, 63-60, in a defensive-minded overtime encounter last night to advance to the PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Ian Sangalang made timely baskets after being held scoreless through three quarters and veteran center Rafi Reavis made big rebounds on both ends to seal the Hotshots’ hard-fought victory despite trailing 39-22 in the third.

Sangalang scored all 11 points in the fourth and overtime while Reavis grabbed 20 rebounds to help Magnolia arrange a best-of-seven title showdown with defending champion San Miguel Beer.

The finals, which begin Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, will be a rematch of last year’s showdown won by San Miguel in five games.

Coach Chito Victolero praised his team for defying the odds yet again after Magnolia started the conference with three straight losses, overcame a Game 1 loss to beat Barangay Ginebra in the best-of-three quarters and lost the first two games of the semis series.

“I keep on telling them to stay positive and stay in the game because it

was only the third quarter,” said Victolero after steering the Hotshots to their third finals appearance in the last four conferences.

James Yap scored 14 points but his efforts fell short as Rain or Shine blew a golden chance of reaching the finals since winning the Commissioner’s Cup in 2016.

The opportunity presented itself twice but Yap’s three-point try with the game tied at 55-all was blocked by Reavis as regulation came to an end.

Beau Belga also had an opportunity to put Rain or Shine ahead but his jumper was off the mark with Magnolia ahead 61-60 with the clock winding down to the final 10 seconds.

Reavis made just one of two free throws to give the Elasto Painters an opportunity to tie the score but Yap’s layup but way short and Sangalang split his charities, missing the second attempt with a second left and ROS out of timeouts.

Magnolia won a game that saw the final score resembling the days of lowscoring affairs in the late-90s. The struggles on offense paved the way for Rain or Shine to take a 27-21 halftime lead.

Two threes by Belga and one from Maverick Ahanmisi made it 39-22 for the Painters, 9:18 left in the third, before the Hotshots made their run.

Sangalang broke his scoreless spell with a putback for 46-all in the fourth, setting the stage for a match that went down the wire.