The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel solidified their hold of the top spot, as they extended their winning streak to seven games by downing the Blackwater Elite, 98-81, Friday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Gin Kings are now 7-1 in the standings, while the Elite dropped to 4-5.
“The final score doesn’t give justice to how the game went,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, talking about the challenge the Elite had given them all throughout. “I thought it could have went either way. They were playing great.”
Greg Slaughter powered the Barangay with a near double-double, scoring 22 points and hauling down eight rebounds. Justin Brownlee filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks in 40 minutes.
With the game tied at 75 with 8:41 remaining in the payoff period, the Barangay scored 10 straight points — punctuated by Kevin Ferrer’s split from the foul line — to establish an 85-75 cushion with 5:44 on the clock.
The Gin Kings then sustained the favorable lead the rest of the way, leaving the Elite overwhelmed. Scottie Thompson’s bucket with less than 24 seconds left to play sealed the deal and the match’s final result.
And for Cone, Friday’s victory is a good way to set their rhythm for their heavyweight bout with June Mar Fajardo and the Grand Slam-seeking San Miguel Beermen this coming Sunday — their second game in three days.
“It’s a good win because we will be playing San Miguel on Sunday,” said the multi-titled tactician. “I read somewhere that Coach Leo (Austria) said that we are the team to beat — they are the team to beat. This will be a challenge.”
“We’re still hurting from that All-Filipino Finals,” admitted Cone.
LA Tenorio scattered 16 points, while Joe Devance supplied 15 markers and eight caroms for Ginebra. Japeth Aguilar produced 10 markers, six rebounds, and three blocks.
Henry Walker led Blackwater and all scorers with 26 points to go with 17 rebounds. Backcourt tandem Mike DiGregorio and Roi Sumang supplied 12 points apiece on a combined 8-of-30 shooting from the floor.
Ginebra shot 49 percent from the field, and reigned supreme in the rebounding department as they grabbed 58 — far from the Elite’s 44. However, the Gin Kings had 18 turnovers, which led to eight points for Blackwater.
The Ginebra-San Miguel clash will take place this Sunday, September 10, 6:45 PM at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. Blackwater, meanwhile, will face the Globalport Batang Pier on September 17, Sunday, 4:30 PM at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Scores:
Ginebra 98 – Slaughter 22, Brownlee 17, Tenorio 16, Devance 15, Aguilar 10, Ferrer 7, Caguioa 6, Thompson 4, Mercado 1.
Blackwater 81 – Walker 26, Digregorio 12, Sumang 12, Pinto 8, Erram 6, Canaleta 6, Gamalinda 5, Marcelo 4, Sena 2, Belo 0.
Quarterscores: 23-24, 45-48, 69-71, 98-81.
