Ginebra used a big second half to turn back an upset-hungry NorthPort, 103-93, to keep its top four aspirations alive in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup, Sunday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings wiped out a narrow 69-67 deficit late in the third, and the momentum they garnered in that stretch was all enough for the crew to open the floodgates in the deciding chapter en route to registering their third straight win.
Coach Tim Cone’s wards have improved to 7-3, once again forcing a tie with San Miguel Beer at the fourth spot of the team standings.
“We’re at the bottom four at this point still, so we still have our work cut out for us. Tonight was a good game because we had to earn the victory tonight. They really made us earn it. We had to battle,” said Cone.
Six players finished in double figures, with Tony Bishop bannering the pack with 26 points alongside 16 rebounds, two assists, five steals, and two blocks.
Christian Standhardinger and Jamie Malonzo finished with 16 points apiece. Japeth Aguilar made 15 points as the trio combined for 21 rebounds.
It was the trio that put together the crucial third-quarter assault, a 9-0 run towards the 76-69 lead with a minute to go to put them ahead for good.
Aguilar would also play a role in the breakaway in the final frame, with the trio of Bishop, Maverick Ahanmisi, and Scottie Thompson helping him out to push their lead to 96-79 with 4:40 left, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Ahanmisi supplied 13 points, five rebounds, and six assists, while Stanley Pringle added 10. Thompson only scored seven, but the 2022 PBA MVP also collected seven boards and 10 of Ginebra’s 35 assists in the victory.
Ginebra will now turn its attention to NLEX, whom it faces on Saturday, January 13, in Legazpi City, Albay to wrap up its elimination round campaign.
Arvin Tolentino, on the other hand, had 27 points and six rebounds for NorthPort, who’s out of the chase for the twice-to-beat edge with the loss.
With that, only four teams — namely Meralco (7-2), Phoenix Super LPG (7-2), SMB, and the Kings — are vying for the last three spots of the top four.
Venky Jois made 21 points and 17 rebounds, while Paul Zamar and JM Calma had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Batang Pier, which ended the eliminations with a 6-5 card and are presently at no. 5 in the standings.
The Scores:
Ginebra 103 – Bishop 26, Malonzo 16, Standhardinger 16, J.Aguilar 15, Ahanmisi 13, Pringle 10, Thompson 7, Tenorio 0, Pinto 0, Onwubere 0, Cu 0, Gumaru 0.
NorthPort 93 – Tolentino 27, Jois 21, Zamar 11, Calma 10, Yu 8, Munzon 6, Chan 5, Paraiso 5, Flores 0, Rosales 0, Amores 0, Adamos 0.
Quarterscores: 24-26, 50-50, 77-72, 103-93.
