In a game they couldn’t afford to lose, the Wizards jumped the gun on the Elasto Paints early, sustained the pace in the next two quarters linking both halves then coasted to the victory that cut Rain or Shine’s lead to 2-1.
Magnolia coach Koy Banal surprised his counterpart by keeping top gun Arwind Santos out of the starting unit with the ploy paying off as the long-limbed former PBL and UAAP MVP came out fresh to fire 14 points while hauling down 13 rebounds.
Having solved the Rain or Shine puzzle, the Wizards gun for a series-tying lead on Sunday and hopefully complete a stirring comeback in Game 5 on Feb. 16.
"I received a text message from one of my coaching staff about John 11:4. It tells about Lazarus rising from the dead. That’s exactly my message to the team," said Banal, a devout born-again Christian.
Santos played a steady game in the fourth quarter where he scattered eight points, all from the foul throw line. He was even slapped in the face by Jojo Tangkay right after getting fouled by Gilbert Malabanan.
Tangkay, who a few days ago was named the conference MVP, was assessed a flagrant foul and had to cool off for two minutes.
Santos drained all four charities to give the Wizards enough cushion for the Elasto Painters’ last-ditch rally.
"They deserve to win this game because they played really well from the start," said Rain or Shine mentor Caloy Garcia.
The Wizards also toughened up on defense as they held Jun Jun Cabatu to just nine points after the latter keyed Rain or Shine’s victories in the first two games with 20 and 21 points, respectively.
Drawing support from its bench, Magnolia took control of the first half to go into the break with a 46-38 advantage. Gerard Jones, who started in place of Santos, Jason Misolas and Mark Isip scored eight points each in that stretch.
Erwin Sta. Maria sizzled early as he drained three of the four triples he took in the first half to finish with 11 points that kept the Elasto Painters within striking distance.