BARANGAY Ginebra didn't allow Magnolia to get into any form or rhythm, pulling off a dominant 99-77 win for a place in the semifinals of the PBA Philippine Cup.
Christian Standhardinger had 17 of his 36 points in the first half to set the tone for the lopsided victory that took the luster out of the 'Manila Clasico' quarterfinal showdown on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
It was the highest output of the Fil-German veteran in a Barangay Ginebra uniform.
The No. 2 seeded Kings, who held a twice-to-beat to beat edge, are the first team to advance to the semis and will meet the winner of the best-of-three quarterfinal pairing between Meralco and NLEX, which the Bolts lead, 1-0.
Coach Tim Cone admitted he was kind of surprised the Kings were quick to dispose off the Hotshots, who were actually coming off a runner-up finish to San Miguel in the last Commissioner’s Cup.
“I’m totally gulat. I’m so gulat right now. I’m shocked that this happened this quick and that we were able to beat them like we did. All day today I was just dreading having to come and play this game and thinking about, ‘Oh no, we have a knockout game on Wednesday.’ And so we go to all those emotions leading up to the game.
“I’m totally shocked that we played well as we did and we’re able to finish them tonight, honestly.”
Maverick Ahanmisi added 16, Japeth Aguilar chipped in 12 and Ralph Cu and Scottie Thompson had 11 apiece for the Kings, who led by as many as 26 points in the game.
The loss was a frustrating way for Magnolia to end a campaign that saw the Hotshots once in the running for the No. 2 spot.
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Except for a brief spell in the first period, the Hotshots never really got into the flow, their problems compounded by the early exit of guard Jio Jalalon due to a hurting knee.
Veteran Mark Barroca continued to play through his wrist injury and topscored for Magnolia with 19 points, six rebounds, and eight assists, while Aris Dionisio was the only other player in double figures with 10 points.
Big man Ian Sangalang, averaging 18.7 points and 7.5 rebounds, was held to just eight and two rebounds while Paul lee was held to six points.
The scores:
Ginebra (99) -- Standhardinger 26, Ahanmisi 16, J.Aguilar 12, Thompson 11, Cu 11, Pringle 6, Gumaru 3, Pinto 2, David 2, Onwubere 0, R.Aguilar 0, Pessumal 0, Tenorio 0, Murrell 0.
Magnolia (77) -- Barroca 19, Dionisio 10, Sangalang 8, Tratter 8, Abueva 8, Mendoza 7, Lee 6, Laput 4, Balanza 3, Dela Rosa 2, Ahanmis 2, Reavis 0, Jalalon 0, Eriobu 0.
Quarterscores: 28-17; 52-36; 80-58; 99-77.
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