Just days after news broke out that Pido Jarencio was replaced by assistant coach Eric Gonzales for the top coaching spot of the GlobalPort Batang Pier, the squad snatched a walloping victory over the struggling Barangay Ginebra Kings, 98-77, earlier at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Since breaking away after slim exchanges of points in the opening canto, GlobalPort never looked back as they trounced the Kings all throughout the game until the final buzzer. They used balanced production from starters to bench players to hand Ginebra its third straight loss in the conference following a 5-1 start, with the Kings now at 5-4.
Terrence Romeo topscored for the Batang Pier again, scattering 25 markers in 9-of-13 shooting all throughout the contest. He also grabbed five boards. Rookie Anthony Semerad also played spectacularly in one of his finest productions as a pro with 17 points backed by three 3-point shots.
Ginebra still had the lead at 16-13 in the opening quarter before GlobalPort unleashed an 11-0 run to end the period at 24-16. The Batang Pier never looked back as they barged into halftime with a 21-point advantage, 52-31.
GlobalPort managed to get a huge margin through a 13-6 advantage in assists to go with 11 fast break points just in the first half. Thirty-five of the Batang Pier’s 52 markers came off the bench, even surpassing the total of the whole Ginebra squad in two quarters.
Before his first taste of PBA coaching duties, newly-appointed head coach Eric Gonzales said that his team didn’t have to be afraid of anything, and his squad did just what he said as they silenced the crowd favorites.
Coming into the second half, it was still all GlobalPort with Greg Slaughter as the lone bright spot for the Kings. The Kings tried to pour it inside through a tall frontline but the hot outside shooting of GlobalPort prevented every attempt of a comeback by Ginebra.
It was also in the third quarter when GlobalPort established its biggest lead at 57-33. Coming into the payoff period with an 18-point lead, GlobalPort just kept exchanging baskets en route to a 21-point win to even their record at five apiece in wins and losses.
Ginebra will still have to battle Alaska and Rain or Shine for its remaining assignments while GlobalPort only has one final game against the Meralco Bolts.
Image by Nuki Subio from PBA Images
