Push Admin

PBA: Victolero hails Magnolia's unselfishness in comfortable Clasico win

Article (news)

Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero gestures to the referees during their Manila Clasico game against Barangay Ginebra. PBA Images." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/02/13/02132023-victolero-hails-magnolia-unselfishness-clasico-win.jpg"/><figcaption>Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero gestures to the referees during their Manila Clasico game against Barangay Ginebra. <em>PBA Images</em>.</figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA, Philippines -- Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero lavished his team with praise after the Hotshots won the first Manila Clasico of the year in emphatic fashion, walloping Barangay Ginebra, 118-88, on Sunday night.</p><p>The Hotshots used a huge second quarter to turn a relatively close game into a romp, out-scoring Ginebra, 36-19, in the period to enter the break with a commanding 36-19 advantage. They went on to lead by as much as 31 points, showing little signs of panic when the Gin Kings went on mini-runs in the third period and silencing their rivals&#x27; passionate fans at the Mall of Asia Arena.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re very unselfish as a team,&quot; Victolero said of the key to victory against Ginebra, which had been undefeated entering the contest. </p><p>The unselfishness manifested not just in their 27 assists but also in the effort they displayed in the game. Victolero was particularly pleased with how they played defensively as Magnolia limited Justin Brownlee to just 22 points and forced the Gin Kings into 22 turnovers that they translated to 27 points.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s all about competing,&quot; the Magnolia coach said. &quot;On the pre-game, sinabi ko lang sa mga bata na we need to enjoy the defensive battle. Kasi &#x27;yun lang eh, that&#x27;s the only chance against Ginebra, against an elite team, a talented team like Ginebra.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I love the effort because sabi namin, we cannot match the effort. We need to surpass the effort of Ginebra in order for us to have a chance. Chance pa lang &#x27;yun ha, if we surpass the effort of Ginebra,&quot; he added. &quot;So I&#x27;m very proud of the players, of my players because talagang &#x27;yung challenge ko, nagawa nila.&quot;</p><p>It helped that Magnolia got a sensational performance from import Antonio Hester, who out-played Brownlee and put up 28 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists. Their locals also rose to the occasion: Mark Barroca, in particular, marshaled their bench efforts and finished with 21 points.</p><p>The Magnolia bench out-scored their Ginebra counterparts, 49-10. </p><p>According to Fidel Mangonon III, the PBA&#x27;s official statistician, this is the most lopsided result in the Manila Clasico since the qualifying rounds of the 2003 Invitationals where Ginebra won, 112-78. It&#x27;s also Ginebra&#x27;s worst loss since Game 1 of the 2019 PBA Governors&#x27; Cup semifinals, when they were crushed, 124-90, by NorthPort.</p><p>The Hotshots have now won back-to-back games after a 0-3 start to their campaign in the 2023 PBA Governors&#x27; Cup, and Victolero believes that they are slowly getting their bearings in the conference even as they continue to miss the presence of star center Ian Sangalang. </p><p>&quot;With Hester, I think nakukuha namin &#x27;yung rhythm namin on both ends,&quot; said Victolero. &quot;Right now, we limited Ginebra to under 90 points. That&#x27;s a good sign that our defensive identity, bumabalik na rin.&quot;</p><p>The Hotshots will look to build on this big victory on Thursday when they play the NLEX Road Warriors (4-1) at the Araneta Coliseum.</p><div><strong>PBA Season 47 games can be streamed live and on-demand on iWantTFC with a Premium subscription, available worldwide except PH and US.</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2465268" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero lavished his team with praise after the Hotshots won the first Manila Clasico of the year in emphatic fashion.

PBA: Victolero hails Magnolia's unselfishness in comfortable Clasico win

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Sports

PBA: Victolero hails Magnolia's unselfishness in comfortable Clasico win

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 13, 2023 07:42 PM PHT

|

Updated February 13, 2023 10:23 PM PHT

Read More:

basketball

PBA

PBA Governors' Cup

Manila Clasico

Magnolia Hotshots

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.