Ginebra ran away in the fourth quarter to beat Rain or Shine, 98-80, to claim the remaining twice-to-beat incentive for the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup quarterfinals, Sunday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Kings held a seven-point lead after three before going on a scorching 15-0 tear toward a commanding 89-67 lead with 8:12 remaining, and they’d stay in cruise control to eventually lock the no. 4 seed with an 8-3 record.
As such, they’d be facing the No. 5 team in the playoffs’ first round in Converge (7-4), and will definitely look to put their win-once bonus into good use.
(C) PBA Images
“We’re just gonna prepare ourselves and try to go out and just win one game,” said Coach Tim Cone as they’re facing the same FiberXers team they beat convincingly, 85-66, in an out-of-town affair last May 10 in Pampanga.
“Really, we’re just thinking about one game, not twice-to-beat. We’re just thinking about one game,” the champion bench tactician added.
Stephen Holt led the crowd darlings with 27 points and 12 rebounds as he was integral in the aforementioned run by knocking down a pair of treys.
Japeth Aguilar made 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Jamie Malonzo produced 15 points and 10 rebounds as three players finished with double-doubles.
RJ Abarrientos came off the bench and added 11 points for a Ginebra side that finished the elimination round with a three-game winning streak.
“I just felt like we handled that loss to Meralco beautifully. I mean it doesn’t matter how, when things aren’t going well, it’s how you respond to adversity,” offered Holt, referring to their 82-73 defeat to the Bolts last May 31.
“So, we watched that film, talked about it in practice, and that kinda spring-boarded us to winning these three games in a row,” he added.
(C) PBA Images
Santi Santillan had 13 points and 10 rebounds while Adrian Nocum had 13 as well to lead Rain or Shine, which finished the eliminations as the No.. 7 seed.
Toting a 6-5 record, the injury-riddled Elasto Painters will face the no. 2 team in NLEX and in a twice-to-win disadvantage — indeed a tough predicament for a squad that’s reached the semifinals in the last three conferences.
Both teams will raise the curtains of the quarters on Wednesday, June 18, at 5:00 p.m. at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The Scores:
Ginebra 98 – Holt 27, J.Aguilar 18, Malonzo 15, Abarrientos 11, Thompson 8, Rosario 8, David 8, Adamos 2, Pessumal 1, Pinto 0, Cu 0, Ahanmisi 0, Gray 0, Mariano 0.
Rain or Shine 80 – Nocum 13, Santillan 13, Asistio 11, Malonzo 10, Mamuyac 9, Caracut 7, Clarito 6, Ildefonso 5, Datu 2, Norwood 2, Borboran 2, Escandor 0.
Quarterscores: 32-21, 45-43, 74-67, 98-80.
