NorthPort held on to hack out a nail-biting 103-101 win against No. 1 seed Magnolia in the PBA Governors Cup at the Ynares Stadium in Antipolo.
The Batang Pier nearly saw a 19-point lead go to waste after the Hotshots made a tremendous fourth-quarter comeback.
But NorthPort, led by NBA veteran Jamel Artis, was able to hang on and give Magnolia its first defeat in the Governors Cup.
Artis exploded with 42 points to go with his 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals to secure NorthPort's second straight win.
Jamie Malonzo added 19 markers, while Arwind Santos came up with 14 points and 4 blocks.
Coach Pido Jarencio was delighted with the win as they had to do it without injured Kevin Ferrer and Robert Bolick, who was lent to national duty.
"'Yung last six games importante sa amin yun... eto may setback kami, injured si Kevin, si Robert nasa Gilas," he said.
"This win is coming from the players, they did their work today. Trabaho talaga... Sabi ko make or break tayo. 'Pag natalo tayo, baka malabo na tayong makarating sa playoffs. And they responded."
The victory was a follow-up to their 109-98 upset of Meralco last week that saw them snap the Bolts’ perfect four-game streak.
Paul Lee came close to stealing the victory in the dying seconds, but his three-point attempt went short.
NorthPort improved to 2-5, while Magnolia fell to 6-1.
