PBA: Tenorio displeased with Magnolia’s 2nd half woes in opening loss

Magnolia coach LA Tenorio during a game against Phoenix in the PBA Governors’ Cup.–PBA IMAGES

RODRIGUEZ, Rizal—LA Tenorio couldn’t hide his frustration over the way Magnolia played flat in the second half of Saturday’s 98-86 loss to Phoenix in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

“Nung simula na ng laro, champion na kami. Pag sa simula lang ng laro kami magaling,” Tenorio said after the game held at Ynares Center Montalban here.

(We started the game feeling like we’ve already won the championship. We’re only good at the start of games.)

READ: PBA: Phoenix beats Magnolia to open Governors’ Cup

Magnolia squandered a halftime lead before being forced to play catch-up the rest of the way, which eventually led to a losing start to the season-ending conference.

The Hotshots had to deal with the early foul trouble of import KJ Buffen, who would finish with 15 points.

It was one of the things Tenorio touched upon in terms of how the rest of the team should approach such situations.

“We were outhustled at the start of the third quarter,” Tenorio said. “I don’t know if we were affected by the foul trouble of our import, but it’s not an excuse.

READ: LA Tenorio the coach will do some soul-searching after Magnolia loses steam

“We cannot rely on our import all the time. If we have to play all-Filipino [because the import is in foul trouble], so be it. We should not be affected.”

It was a stinging start for Magnolia, which hopes to pick up the pieces before returning to action on Friday against Blackwater at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Magnolia is in a tough Group B that includes Barangay Ginebra, Meralco and Rain or Shine.

“I always tell the team that we always fell into that trap of playing selfish,” he said. “I know it’s the first game, but we have to learn from the last conference when we were always trying to catch up.”