CHRISTIAN Standhardinger took his fourth-quarter benching in stride on Sunday in Barangay Ginebra’s game against Terrafirma in the PBA 48th Season Philippine Cup.
Standhardinger had 21 points and seven rebounds but was surprisingly benched in the final quarter despite his fine play in the first three quarters. The Gin Kings eventually lost to the Dyip, 91-85.
Standhardinger assured he didn’t sustain any injury, while also supporting the decision by the coaching staff to instead go with Japeth Aguilar and Sidney Onwubere in the fourth quarter.
Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone decided to let his lead assistant Richard Del Rosario call the shots for most parts of the contest.
“The coaching staff decided they will go with Sid (Onwubere) and Jap (Aguilar) and they played amazing,” said Standhardinger in a brief interview with reporters after the game.
Aguilar finished the game with 18 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, while also grabbing five rebounds. Onwubere had nine points, 12 rebounds, and four assists in the ballgame.
“There’s not much I can do,” said the two-time Best Player of the Conference awardee. “As a player, you just do it. But coach Richard decided to go with Sidney and Japeth and they both had a great fourth quarter.”
Stanley Pringle also noticeably played fewer minutes and finished with just two points in 18 minutes and 43 seconds of court action.
Barangay Ginebra suffered a loss for just the second time in franchise history against Terrafirma. The Gin Kings also slumped to a 3-3 win-loss record, dropping a game for the second straight time following their defeat against San Miguel last Friday.
Even with Standhardinger’s effort, the Gin Kings spent most of the game catching up after a strong start by the Dyip.
“Just unfortunate that we didn’t make it,” said Standhardinger.
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