MANILA — The Magnolia Hotshots started slow but came roaring back in the second half to get past the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 96-81, in the PBA Philippine Cup on Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The win snapped Magnolia’s two-game losing skid as the Hotshots regained solo leadership with their 7-3 win-loss card, ahead of San Miguel Beer (6-2) and Alaska (6-3), two teams that will collide on Saturday.

GlobalPort fell to a 4-5 card but still in contention for a quarterfinals berth.

Resurgent Rome dela Rosa led Magnolia with a career-high 18 points, nine of them in the fourth quarter when the Hotshots began pulling away. That marked the third straight game when Dela Rosa reset his career-best in scoring. He also grabbed four boards.

Justin Melton and Ian Sangalang added 14 points apiece and also six rebounds each. Melton had four three-pointers, five assists, and one steal.

Paul Lee also returned from the injury list to contribute 13 points, three boards, and three assists.

Mark Barroca and Aldrech Ramos chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Magnolia’s suffocating defense played a huge role in the win, with the Hotshots limiting the Batang Pier to just 38.9-percent shooting (28-of-72) from the field overall. The Hotshots limited GlobalPort’s top gunner Stanley Pringle to just five points, missing all but one of the 12 shots he took.

Kelly Nabong led GlobalPort with 21 points and 12 boards in 37 minutes. Jonathan Grey added 13 markers, while Sean Anthony and Jeric Teng chipped in 12 points each in the loss.

Blackwater 95, Kia 76

The Blackwater Elite sent fellow expansion team Kia Picanto crashing out of the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup with an emphatic 95-76 victory on Friday night.

Their second straight and fourth win overall in nine games boosted the Elite’s chances of making it into the quarterfinals as they tied GlobalPort and Phoenix for seventh to ninth place in the standings. Blackwater tries to advance further as it tangles with the streaking NLEX (5-4) on Sunday.

The Picanto suffered their eighth loss in nine games, thus becoming the first team to get booted out of the tournament.

The Elite showed the same firepower they displayed last week when they upset the defending champion San Miguel Beermen with a stunning 106-96 win.

Mike Digregorio once again led Blackwater with 21 points, pouring 14 of them in the third quarter when the Elite began breaking the game wide open. The 27-year-old Fil-Am guard also finished with three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 33 minutes.

Starting center Poy Erram also played solidly on both ends of the court, finishing with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting, 14 rebounds, three assists, and one block in 37 minutes.

Allein Maliksi added 14 points along with six boards, three assists, and one steal in 25 minutes.

Ronald Tubid led Kia with 22 points, eight rebounds and one steal, while Reden Celda added 21 points and five boards that went down the drain.

Games Saturday: Alaska Aces (6-3) vs. San Miguel Beer (6-2).