Mark Barroca in action for Magnolia against TerraFirma in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup, October 25, 2025 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. PBA Images
MANILA -- Magnolia and Converge turned back separate opponents on Saturday night to earn a share of the lead in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Hotshots pulled away for a 104-93 win against the TerraFirma Dyip, leaning on a balanced effort that saw five players score in double-digits.
Veteran guard Mark Barroca made all eight of his field goals for 17 points -- including 11 in the fourth quarter as the Hotshots finally broke the game open against the gritty Dyip.
This was the Hotshots' 22nd straight win over TerraFirma dating back to July 2016. It also allowed them to bounce back from a sorry loss to Meralco in their previous assignment and improve to 3-1 in the conference.
The Dyip were ahead, 76-75, after the third period but gave up back-to-back three-pointers to Raffy Verano that put the Hotshots ahead for good.
Jerom Lastimosa had 16 points, Paul Lee and Ian Sangalang each had 12, and Zav Lucero just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds for Magnolia.
TerraFirma, which fell to 1-3, drew 16 points each from young forwards Paolo Hernandez and JM Bravo.
Juan Gomez de Liano in action for Converge against Phoenix in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup, October 25, 2025 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. PBA Images
Also improving to 3-1 in the tournament were the Converge FiberXers, who rode a hot start en route to a 128-114 rout of Phoenix.
Alec Stockton top-scored with 22 points, while rookie guard Juan Gomez de Liano turned in a double-double of 19 points and 12 assists in less than 30 minutes. Four other players reached double-digits for Converge, which shot nearly 53% from the field.
They led 31-18 after the opening period and never allowed the Fuel Masters to recover, despite a 27-point outing from Jason Perkins and 23 points from Ricci Rivero.
Phoenix fell to 1-3.