Japeth Aguilar knocked down the game-winner as Barangay Ginebra withstood the upset-hungry Blackwater, 101-99, for its third straight win in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, Friday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The star big man top-scored with 22 points, none more important than his baseline jumper off a Scottie Thompson feed with a second left to lift the Kings past a crew that’s desperate to end a skid that’s now reached four games.
Aguilar also collected eight rebounds in the victory that hiked their record to 5-2, moving them closer to clinching a quarterfinal spot.
(C) PBA Images
“It came down to a big shot, and Japeth has made so many big shots in his career. He hits another one just like in the old days,” offered head coach Tim Cone. “It was a great pass by Scottie to make it happen.”
Thompson finished with 18 points and 10 assists, although he did not stay to celebrate the W. The former MVP immediately left for the Asian Hospital in Muntinlupa right after the match to be with his wife Jinky, who had gone into labor.
“We didn’t know until the end of the game,” Cone said. “It was nice of his wife not to insist on telling him to come right away, they told him right after the game was over, and that’s when he found out, right after the game was over.”
Troy Rosario also contributed 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Jamie Malonzo made 15 points and 14 rebounds with five assists.
Stephen Holt added 13 markers and eight boards as the trio all had a hand in keeping the crowd darlings in the thick of the fight at the homestretch.
But while five cogs did wonders for Ginebra, the Bossing leaned on the troika of Sedrick Barefield, RK Ilagan, and Christian David to issue a major scare.
(C) PBA Images
Barefield finished with a game-high 32 points, on top of his six rebounds and six assists. Ilagan punched in 24, spiked by a pair of four-pointers, off the bench, while David came through with 15 points and eight rebounds.
However, it was Troy Malillin who really gave Blackwater a chance to stun the traditional contenders. The team went to him for a booming trifecta from the right wing — off a timeout — to tie it up at 99-all with 19.6 seconds to spare.
Experience, though, was the edge for the Kings. They showed a poise which their younger counterparts are still working on at this point in their careers, with Thompson finding Aguilar to call game just before the final buzzer rang.
“It was originally an alley-oop, but it never happened,” Cone recalled of the final play. “They [Blackwater] did a good job on defending it. And then, it turned into a breakdown, and Scottie and Japeth made a good decision.”
Ginebra will look to make it four wins in a row when it takes on Meralco in a rivalry affair set next Friday, May 30, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Bossing, on the other hand, fell to 1-6 after absorbing their fourth consecutive defeat. They will have to sweep their four remaining games for a fighting chance to at least vie for the playoffs.
The Scores:
Ginebra 101 – Aguilar 22, Thompson 18, Rosario 18, Malonzo 15, Holt 13, Abarrientos 8, Adamos 4, David 3, Gray 0.
Blackwater 99 – Barefield 32, Ilagan 24, David 15, Mallilin 9, Escoto 8, Casio 3, Jopia 2, Guinto 2, Tratter 2, Chua 2, Andrade 0, Mitchell 0.
Quarterscores: 19-25, 46-43, 72-71, 101-99.
