There was no such thing as homecourt edge as Ginebra handed Converge an 85-66 beating to go above .500 in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, Saturday night at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in Pampanga.
Many considered the clash in San Fernando as a “home game” for the FiberXers with a bevy of Kapampangans in the club, led by lead deputy and concurrent provincial governor Delta Pineda and No.1 pick Justine Baltazar.
As expected, the place was packed — but most fans came in support for the Kings, which the latter used to their advantage by coming out to a hot start on the way to returning to the win column.
Sasmuan native Japeth Aguilar led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds, plus three blocks on his way to earning Player of the Game honors.
(C) PBA Images
Scottie Thompson made 15 points, while Stephen Holt delivered a 12-4-5 line. The guards combined for 12 points in the first quarter to help put together a rally toward a 21-10 lead, which put them ahead the rest of the way.
RJ Abarrientos led the bench mob with 14 points, while Jamie Malonzo came just a point shy of a double-double. He finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, along with five assists, a steal, and a pair of blocks.
The Barangay improved to 3-2 following the solid bounce-back after bowing to NLEX, 89-86, last Wednesday, where they fell to a late Xyrus Torres trey.
Ginebra will shoot for back-to-back wins for the first time in this conference when it faces Phoenix on May 16, Friday, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
(C) PBA Images
Baltazar, on the other hand, had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the loss that extinguished Converge’s fiery three-game winning streak.
MJ Garcia was his lone backup with 12 points and six rebounds as the usually potent FiberXers’ offense struggled against the traditional contenders.
Coach Franco Atienza’s charges opened the game’s scoring fray — a three-pointer courtesy of Kevin Racal — but that proved to be the only time they’d taste the lead as the Kings got in rhythm not long after.
Converge even trailed by as many as 21 points during the match’s closing moments, eventually falling to 4-3 in the standings.
Getting back on track soon will be the FiberXers’ objective when they take on the struggling NorthPort on May 16 as well.
The Scores:
Ginebra 85 – Aguilar 23, Thompson 15, Abarrientos 14, Holt 12, Malonzo 9, Rosario 7, David 3, Adamos 2, Cu 0, R. Aguilar 0
Converge 66 – Baltazar 13, Garcia 12, Arana 9, Stockton 8, Ambohot 7, Winston 4, Delos Santos 4, Racal 3, Suerte 3, Nermal 2, Corpuz 1, Caralipio 0, R. Santos 0, B. Santos 0.
Quarterscores: 23-13, 50-34, 67-54, 85-66.
