ANTONIO Hester carried the offense, while the locals flexed their defensive muscles as Magnolia frustrated NLEX, 119-103, to sustain its momentum in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Thursday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Hester dropped 37 points, 15 boards, and five assists, while Jio Jalalon came up one rebound shy of a triple-double with 17 points and 12 assists as he also stood at the forefront of a stingy defense that held Wayne Selden Jr. to just 11 points in the second half

The result gave Magnolia its third straight win to improve to 3-3 and stay in seventh spot, while NLEX suffered a second straight loss after starting the conference with four straight wins.