Ginebra flipped the switch in the second half and turned back the upset-seeking Titan Ultra, 108-105, for a rousing finish entering the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals, Sunday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings were already out of contention for a top-four finish following TNT’s 94-83 victory over Magnolia earlier but that didn’t stop them from taking care of business against the Giant Risers to end the eliminations with five wins in a row.
After trailing by 13 at the break, the crowd darlings came out with a 31-point barrage in the third before unloading a 15-2 rally en route to a 92-82 advantage during the deciding frame, completely shifting the momentum their way.
Eventually, the crew would finish the eliminations as the fifth seed with a 7-4 record, thus setting up a QF showdown with the no. 4 Converge.
Ginebra will be taking on a FiberXers side that’s equipped with a twice-to-beat advantage, hoping of course to overcome as much and gain a measure of payback against a team that beat them during the preliminaries, 106-96.
Stephen Holt led the way with 27 points. RJ Abarrientos delivered 24 points and six assists, with Ralph Cu supplying 12 as the two led the bench support.
Scottie Thompson came through with 11 points, six rebounds, nine assists, and a steal while Troy Rosario chipped in 10 markers in the victory.
It wasn’t all smooth-sailing for the squad, though, as Titan Ultra knocked down a pair of crucial fours courtesy of Joshua Munzon and Calvin Abueva in the dying seconds and got themselves to within a point on both occassions.
But the Barangay were able to stave them off, with Holt and Abarrientos combining for a perfect 6-for-6 clip in separate trips to the foul line.
