Japeth Aguilar nailed timely baskets down the stretch to help Barangay Ginebra San Miguel repel the NorthPort Batang Pier, 104-98, for a 3-0 start in the 2018 Governors’ Cup, Wednesday night at SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The 6-foot-9 forward hit back-to-back jumpers inside the game’s final 54 seconds to shut the door close for the Batang Pier, who managed to close within three in the 1:10-mark after being down by as much as 19 early.
Aguilar filled up the stat sheet with 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block in 30 minutes.
“Japeth hit some key shots down the stretch that got us over the hump,” praised Ginebra head coach Tim Cone.
Justin Brownlee led the Barangay with a near triple-double of 27 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. LA Tenorio supplied 18 points, while Scottie Thompson provided 14 rebounds, six assists, and four points.
But even with the win, Cone couldn’t get elated with it.
“We were in survival mode, trying to see if we can survive games at this point. We need to be a lot better than what we’re playing,” said the multi-titled bench strategist, whose team has yet to recover from the bite of the injury bug.
Another thing that made Cone worried is center Greg Slaughter’s bad fall with 5:49 left to play, as he collided with NorthPort’s Sean Anthony. The seven-footer never returned after that and finished the night with 18 points.
“Well at least we survived a scary moment for Greg. It was a scary moment when he fell,” Cone admitted.
The loss wasted the performance of the returning Stanley Pringle, who had 34 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Import Rashad Woods provided 28 points, 11 rebounds, and six dimes, while Mo Tautuaa had 11 and 10.
The Batang Pier have now gone 0-4.
Both squads will take turns in facing the Blackwater Elite after the break for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. The Batang Pier will go at them first at September 19, and the Gin Kings will take on them just two days after at the 23rd.
The Scores:
Ginebra 104 – Brownlee 27, Aguilar 23, Slaughter 18, Tenorio 18, Ferrer 6, Mariano 4, Thompson 4, Chan 2, Caguioa 2.
NorthPort 98 – Pringle 34, Woods 28, Tautuaa 11, Anthony 9, Taha 6, Fortuna 5, Guinto 3, Grey 2, Arana 0, Espinas 0, Gabayni 0.
Quarterscores: 33-15, 57-41, 79-73, 104-98.
