MAGNOLIA Purewater flashed its defensive form to beat Bacchus Energy Drink, 83-69, and force a do-or-die match in their semifinal series in the 2009 Philippine Basketball League PG Flex Linoleum Cup yesterday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Lyztian Amparado started Magnolia?s onslaught by knocking in a jumper but it was the game-long brilliance of veteran forward Neil Raneses that spelled the big difference as the Wizards tied their best-of-five semis series at 2-2.

The 6?5? Raneses produced another double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds, five of them offensively underscoring their might in both ends of the court.

?Naantig ang pride ng mga bata, especially our big men, that?s why they really gave their best today. Our defense held on throughout the game because we limited them to just 69 points,? said coach Koy Banal.

Still, Banal refused to be swayed by their win, saying: ?There?s no big deal about it, balanse pa rin ang momentum. I know they [Bacchus] can come back strong.?

Banal also credited the heads-up play of JP Alcaraz and Amparado, who added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Aside from their defense, the Wizards? shooting improved tremendously this time, shooting 48 percent or making 30-of-62 tries from the field compared to a paltry 38 percent in Game 3, which they lost, 89-83. The winner in the knockout match tomorrow will earn the right to face Harbour Centre in the best-of-five title series starting on Tuesday at The Arena in San Juan.

The Batang Pier advanced to the finals for the sixth straight time by sweeping Hapee Toothpaste in their own semis series.

The absence of the prolific Paul Lee made Magnolia?s job a lot easier as other Bacchus top gunners, notably Rey Guevarra and Hans Thiele, struggled in the face of Magnolia?s rock-solid defense.

The 5?11? Lee, the league?s leading scorer with 16 points average per contest, suffered muscles contusion after bumping into Raneses with a little over three minutes into the game.

Without the leading candidate for the Best Player of the Conference award, the Energy Warriors fell into a poor shot selection.

The 5?9? Amparado was perfect from the field in the first half, scoring eight points, including a triple, in a telling 21-4 run that gave the Wizards their first sizable lead, 24-11.