Magnolia took advantage of the early exit of Aaron Fuller and completely shut down Rain or Shine with a 121-69 drubbing in Game 2 of their quarterfinals series in PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex on Friday, Sept. 27.

The Hotshots clamped down on the defensive end against Elasto Painters, particularly in the second frame where they limited the Group B top seed to a measly five points while opening the floodgates with a 36-point explosion.

When the dust settled, Magnolia already broke the game wide open and erected a massive 38-point lead at the break, 66-28. The Hotshots were never threatened the rest of the way to not only tie the series at 1-1 but also deal the Elasto Painters a 52-point defeat -- their worst loss in franchise history.

Magnolia’s new import and former NBA player Jabari Bird led the balanced attack with a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds while Calvin Abueva was also unleashed with a conference-high of 18 points to go with 10 rebounds.

Mark Barroca orchestrated the attack with 10 assists to go with his 11 points while Ian Sangalang had 12 and Rome dela Rosa and Joseph Eriobu with 11 apiece.

The cold shooting from outside continued for Rain or Shine, firing a poor 9-of-23 clip from the three and 0-of-4 from the four-point territory. 

Without Fuller who exited the game in the second frame after getting poked in the eye by Ian Sangalang, the Hotshots completely dominated the boards, 67-37, which proved to be key in stopping the run-and-gun offense of the Elasto Painters who only had six fastbreak points.

Adrian Nocum and Felix Lemetti were the only double-digit scorers for Rain or Shine with 13 and 11 respectively although most of their points came when the lead was seemingly already out of their reach.

The Scores : 

MAGNOLIA 121 – Bird 22, Abueva 18, Sangalang 12, Barroca 11, Eriobu 11, Dela Rosa 11, Dionisio 9, Lucero 9, Mendoza 7, Laput 4, Lee 4, Balanza 2, Reavis 1, Alfaro 0, Ahanmisi 0, Escoto 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 69 – Nocum 13, Lemetti 11, Asistio 7, Datu 7, Clarito 6, Santillan 6, Mamuyac 5, Tiongson 5, Fuller 4, Belga 4, Caracut 1, Escandor 0, Borboran 0, 0, Ildefonso 0, Villegas 0, Norwood 0

 QUARTERS : 34-23, 66-28, 88-49, 121-69