ANTIPOLO – Barangay Ginebra ended its slump on Sunday with a convincing 104-74 win over NLEX on Sunday in the PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup at the Ynares Center.
The Gin Kings never trailed in the game, posting a lead of 26-9 in the first quarter and never looked back.
Ginebra rose to 2-3 win-loss, ending a a slump of back-to-back losses that included last week’s close 83-81 loss to San Miguel in Dubai.
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Japeth Aguilar poured 25 points, while Stephen Holt had 10 of his 20 points in that first-quarter explosion that set the tone for the Gin Kings.
NLEX saw its three-game winning streak come to an end and dipped to 4-2, missing the chance of taking solo leadership in the team standings.
Ginebra, led by Holt, put the clamps down on NLEX’s usual suspects JB Bahio and Robert Bolick, who combined for only 12 points. It also helped that the Gin Kings shot 52 percent from the field - a far cry from their 32 percent shooting clip in Dubai.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well in Dubai,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone. “That was a tough place to shoot. We didn’t get a chance to practice there. We didn’t get a chance to shoot before anytime until game.
"There are little reasons here and there but we did made some adjustments to our game today, try to get out a little bit more so that we can attack and made easier baskets. By in large, I know everybody is going to look at the offense that we shot better but still, it came down to the defense. I thought we did a great job defensively.
“I thought Stephen did a great job on Berto. He is such a tough guard. He still got 11 assists. But he is such a tough guard and Stephen, I thought, did a really good job. And our bigs really did a great job of controlling the paint and not allowing them to penetrate,” Cone said.
Scottie Thompson also had 12 points and 11 assists, while Troy Rosario hauled 11 rebounds for Barangay Ginebra.
Xyrus Torres had 17 points, and Jonnel Policarpio 13 points but NLEX only shot 38 percent from the field.
The scores:
Barangay Ginebra 104 – J. Aguilar 25, Holt 20, Thompson 12, Rosario 9, Gray 9, Cu 7, Abarrientos 4, Torres 4, Estil 4, R. Aguilar 4, Pinto 4, David 2.
NLEX 74 – Torres 17, Policarpio 13, Fajardo 10, Capulong 9, Bahio 8, Alas 7, Mocon 4, Bolick 4, Ramirez 2, Nieto 0, Herndon 0, Rodger 0, Valdez 0, Marcelo 0, Amer 0.
Quarters: 26-11; 40-33; 72-59; 104-74.
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