Struggling all-game long, Tyler Bey still made sure to deliver when it mattered the most.

The Magnolia import scored on a clutch and-1 play down the stretch as the Hotshots staved off a tough stand from the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 82-79, to draw first blood in Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinals series in the 2023-’24 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Jan. 24.

Bey, who had a rough night shooting the ball on an 8-of-23 clip, completed a huge and-1 play off a beautiful feed from a driving Paul Lee that put Magnolia up 81-78 with 1:27 remaining in the contest.

Phoenix import Johnathan Williams and Bey, then, traded splits from the foul line in the ensuing possession before Magnolia held onto its defense in the final play to preserve the win.

Bey finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Hotshots but a lot is still to be desired from his performance that also saw him miss all of his six attempts from deep.

The rest of Magnolia, though, picked up the slack with five players contributing at least eight points with Paul Lee and Mark Barroca leading the charge with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Calvin Abueva finished with nine points while Aris Dionisio added eight.

Ian Sangalang also held the fort with eight points and eight rebounds.

Jason Perkins paced Phoenix with 25 points built on three triples while Williams, who went scoreless in the first half, still wound up with an all-around effort of 11 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.

Although failing to sustain its impressive game that saw them lead by as many as nine points early in the second half, Phoenix hung tough and kept itself within striking distance against the veteran-laden Magnolia.

The Fuel Masters even had the chance to send the game to an extra period but Perkin came up short on his last second heave off a broken play after tough Hotshots defensive stand in the final 3.8 seconds of the game.