GINEBRA ROLLS PAST GLOBALPORT, BATTLES TNT IN SUDDEN DEATH
ANTIPOLO — In a game that really mattered, the Barangay Ginebra Kings asserted themselves versus the GlobalPort Batang Pier.
The Kings sized up the Batang Pier in the early goings and then poured it all, hammering a lopsided 95-78 win to make the knockout stage of the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the Ynares Center here Friday night.
A vicious 16-to-nothing run at the end of the second quarter set the tone of the Kings’ dominant triumph – sweet revenge on their blowout loss to the Batang Pier in the elims.
And the Kings now march onto a big knockout battle with the Talk n Text Tropang Texters.
There’s no more twice-to-beat. It’s a no-tomorrow game. The loser plays its next game in the next conference.
“I think they’re a different team without (Alex) Cabagnot. One day to prepare (with a new player) or to lose a main guy like Alex is hard,” said Ginebra coach Jeff Cariaso of their GlobalPort conquest.
Cariaso said they’re now about to see a real good team in facing Talk n Text in a knockout battle for the right to play San Miguel Beer in the semifinals.
“Talk n Text is very good in terms of understanding what they do.They’re very experienced. This team and its core have been together for a long time. Hopefully, it comes down to the last two minutes,” said Cariaso.
The Batang Pier got into the fight in the first 18 minutes before fading as the Kings asserted themselves with their tall lineup.
Japeth Aguilar stood out with 19 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and one assist while Greg Slaughter churned out 11 points and the same number of rebounds.
Mark Caguioa, Mark Baracael and LA Tenorio had their shining moments as the Kings ripped the GlobalPort team that seemed to lose chemistry.
Going big in the second quarter, the Kings erased an eight-point deficit and stormed ahead, 49-35, at the half.
Ginebra overpowered GlobalPort with the Triple Tower combination of Slaughter, Aguilar and JayR Reyes and later Billy Mamaril, and seized control, 49-33, on a 16-to-nothing attack.
The Batang Pier broke a six-minute silence as Stanley Pringle converted a tough shot in heavy traffic underneath the basket with 1.7 ticks left in the first half.
Terrence Romeo fired a trey then scored on a drive to start the game that GlobalPort dominated in the first quarter.
Ginebra caught up at 27-all on a three-pointer by Joseph Yeo and moved ahead for the first time at 28-27 on split from the line by Slaughter.
The Kings pulled away as Aguilar, Caguioa and Reyes also got going, fuelling Ginebra’s decisive 16-0 attack.
And there was no turning back the Kings. (SB)
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