MANILA — The Magnolia Hotshots defeated the NLEX Road Warriors, 106-99, in Game 3 of their best-of-7 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

Magnolia thus took a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 set Friday night.

Jio Jalalon scored a career-high 25 points while Ian Sangalang finished with a new playoff-high 24 points to lead Magnolia to victory. Jalalon drilled four triples and collected four boards, three assists, and two steals in 28 minutes as a starter. On the other hand, Sangalang had seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal in almost 38 minutes of play.

Rome dela Rosa added 17 points along with seven rebounds while Paul Lee contributed 14 points, six assists, and three rebounds.

Kiefer Ravena led NLEX with 20 points while Kevin Alas added 15 markers.

Game Thursday: San Miguel Beermen vs. Barangay Ginebra Kings (Game 4 of best-of-7 semifinals; SMB leads, 2-1).