GlobalPort continued to
rise even as Ginebra withstood Barako Bull in last night’s action from the 2013
PBA Philippine Cup.
 |
| The Gin Kings' motto is infectious! |
In the first game, GlobalPort
handed Alaska its fifth loss, 94-84. Terrence Romeo bounced back from his slump
by shooting 8/15 from the field on his way to 21 points as the Batang Pier rose
to 4 wins and 3 losses. This was a big win for GlobalPort, which is hoping to
be among the top four teams when the elimination round ends. So far, neophyte
head coach Richie Ticzon's balanced reliance on his veterans and rookies has
been, generally speaking, paying off. That was very evident in this game, as
Sol Mercado also dropped a big game on the Aces. The Sol Train erupted for 26
markers along with 5 boards and 4 dimes, while Romeo added 6 rebounds and 2
assists to his tally.
Alaska was in hot water
from the get-go. Coach Luigi Trillo's wards, despite shooting relatively well
from the field, just didn't take care of the basketball. They gave up 16
turnovers, which GlobalPort translated into 23 points-off-turnovers. Coupled
with how Alaska lost the battle of the boards, 49-43, and shot just 57% from
the stripe, well, the end result should not be very surprising. The Aces have
been terribly inconsistent to start this season, and they are now mired in 2-5
hole near the bottom of the standings.
Aside from Mercado and
Romeo, other guys who really did well for GlobalPort were veterans Jay
Washington and Mark Yee, as well as rookie playmaker RR Garcia. J-Wash scored
13 points, hauled down 9 rebounds, handed out 5 assists, and stole the ball
twice in a rock-solid effort. In the meantime, Yee and Garcia combined to shoot
5 triples and score 23 points. If coach Ticzon can push his wards to continue
playing in a very balanced manner, then we might be looking at a sleeper
championship contender right here.
In the main game, Ginebra held
off Barako Bull, 85-79. Greg Slaughter came out not just to play, but to
dominate in this encounter. The former Ateneo and Gilas slotman was a behemoth
here, scoring 15 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and blocking 2 shots. The top
overall pick of the 2013 PBA Draft did struggle from the field (6/13) and from
the line (3/8), but those were grossly overshadowed by the fact he just
outplayed Barako's aging duo in the middle --
Mick Pennisi and Dorian Peña.
Barako Bull was on the
short end of fortune in this encounter. They didn't get a lot of breaks in the
game, and didn't really attack the rim with a lot of aggression. The Energy
Cola did shoot better from the field (43% vs 38%), but they were gifted with
just 7 free throw attempts the entire match. In contrast, the Gin Kings were
more active around the basket and were given 29 free throws. They made 21.
Former Gilas teammates Mac
Baracael and Japeth Aguilar were very effective against Barako. Baracael
connected on three triples on his way to scoring 15 points, while Aguilar
continued his stellar play this conference with 16 points, 5 boards, 3 blocks,
and 2 assists. Barako Bull just had no answer for the athleticism and
aggressiveness of Ginebra's frontline.
Game Recaps:
GLOBALPORT over ALASKA, 94-84
Sol Mercado scored 26
points while Terrence Romeo added 21 to lead GlobalPort to a 94-84 win over
Alaska, the Batang Pier’s third straight win in the PLDT MyDSL Philippine Cup
on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The win was the Batang
Pier’s fourth in the tournament, tying the franchise record total for wins in a
conference set in last season’s Governors’ Cup.
“We don’t care about the
wins and the losses. All we care about is playing hard and staying together,”
said GlobalPort coach Richie Ticzon. “Hopefully, the wins will come.”
Romeo broke out of his
two-game scoring slump to spark the Batang Pier with 13 points in the first
quarter. With Alaska’s attention on the GlobalPort rookie, it was Mercado’s
turn to explode in the second period, scoring 16 as the Batang Pier opened up a
21-point advantage.
GlobalPort brought a 55-35
lead into the second half and nursed the advantage through most of the game.
The Batang Pier never led by less than double figures until a three-pointer by
RJ Jazul with just 20.9 seconds left put Alaska within eight points, 92-84.
It was all over but the
shouting by that point for GlobalPort, which drew 13 points apiece form Jay
Washington and RR Garcia. Mark Yee added 10 points for the Batang Pier, whose
win-loss record improved to 4-3.
JVee Casio led the fight
for Alaska with 28 points. Sonny Thoss had 13 points while RJ Jazul added 10
for the Aces, who stumbled to its second straight loss and fourth in five
games.
Alaska played without star
forward Calvin Abueva, who sustained an ankle injury during practice.
GLO 94 – Mercado 26, Romeo 21, Washington 13, Garcia 13, Yee 10, Chua 3, Hayes
3, Lingganay 2, Nabong 2, Menk 1, Salva 0, Salvador 0.
ALA 84 – Casio 28, Thoss 13, Jazul 10, Espinas 9, Baguio 8, Ramos 7, Exciminano
6, Buenafe 3, Belasco 0, Dela Cruz 0, Hontiveros 0, Eman 0.
QS: 27-20, 55-35, 77-58, 94-84.
 |
| Jay Washington collars the rebound and gives Gabby Espinas something to think about. |
 |
| Sol Mercado goes up strong against Tony Dela Cruz. |
 |
| Terrence Romeo broke out of his slump. |
BGY. GINEBRA over BARAKO BULL, 85-79
Barangay Ginebra San
Miguel quelled a fourth quarter from Barako Bull to book an 85-79 victory in
PLDT MyDSL Philippine Cup action on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“Nanalo kami dahil we were
able to control the tempo of the game,” said Ginebra coach Ato Agustin. “Nanalo
kami sa boards. Maganda yung defense namin.”
Japeth Aguilar led Ginebra
with 16 points while Greg Slaughter added 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Gin
Kings, who won the rebounding battle, 54-43.
But Ginebra had to go
through a tough challenge from Barako Bull, which sprung a zone defense in the
final period to slow down the Gin Kings’ offense.
Trailing by 11 points
heading into the fourth quarter, Barako Bull slowly chipped away at the deficit
to trail by just a single point, 73-72, on a corner three-pointer by Keith
Jensen.
But Emman Monfort, in the
game for Ginebra after LA Tenorio had to be subbed out because of cramps, hit a
crucial three-pointer to push the lead back to four points with less than five
minutes left. That touched off a 9-2 run that gave Ginebra an 83-74 lead to
wrap up the ballgame.
“Buti na lang lamang kami
nung nag-zona sila,” said Agustin, who admitted that his players were a little
rattled by Barako Bull’s defensive adjustment before regaining their poise in
the endgame.
Ginebra won despite main
man Mark Caguioa barely being a factor as he continues to suffer from effects
of a recent illness. “Sinubukan ko nga kung pupuwede pero wala pang legs,” said
Agustin, adding that Caguioa had missed several practice sessions because of
his ailment.
The 2012 Most Valuable
Player played eight minutes and finished scoreless after missing both his
shots.
LA Tenorio provided the
leadership in Caguioa’s absence, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, and
nine assists for the Gin Kings. Mac Baracael added 15 points for Ginebra, which
won for the fifth time in six games to keep solid hold of second spot behind
unbeaten Petron.
Willie Miller and Mick
Pennisi paced Barako Bull with 14 points apiece. But top gun Ronjay Buenafe was
held to just five points on just 2-of-7 shooting from the field for Barako
Bull, which lost its fourth straight game to fall to a 2-4 record.
GIN 85 - Aguilar 16, Slaughter 15, Baracael 15, Tenorio 10, Ellis 8, Reyes 7,
Monfort 7, Helterbrand 5, Urbiztondo 2, Ababou 0, Mamaril 0, Caguioa 0.
BAR 79 - Miller 14, Pennisi 14, Isip 13, Jensen 8, Labagala 8, Lastimosa 6,
Buenafe 5, Intal 5, Wilson 4, Pena 2, Maierhofer 0, Fortuna 0.
QS: 19-19, 41-32, 66-55, 85-79
 |
| LA Tenorio and Greg Slaughter form a very potent pair. |
 |
| Japeth Aguilar continued to fly high for Ginebra. |
Source: Unless otherwise specified, game recaps were compressed and
compiled from InterAKTV. (Writing credit to Rey Joble)
Images: Unless otherwise specified, images are from the PBA and AKTV.
(Photo credit to Paolo Papa)
0 Comment