BARANGAY Ginebra ended its PBA Philippine Cup elimination round campaign on a high, rallying past Titan Ultra, 108-105, Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings came back from a 16-point deficit in the third quarter to essay their fifth straight victory and finished as the no. 5 seeded team at 7-4.
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They actually had the same standings as Converge, but the FiberXers took the No. 4 place and twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs after beating the Kings in their lone encounter in the eliminations, 106-96.
“The Rain or Shine game we played in Bahrain wasn't our best performance, and tonight wasn't our best performance. But hopefully, we’re saving it for the first game of the playoffs,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone following the escape act against Titan.
Stephen Holt led the Kings with 27 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range, RJ Abarrientos added 24 including 15 in the fourth quarter, while Ralph Cu went 4-of-7 from 3s to finish with 12.
Holt teamed up with Scottie Thompson and Troy Rosario in a game-changing third quarter, instigating a 20-3 run during that stretch to turn a 16-point deficit into a 68-67 lead.
Titan Ultra, which finished its debut conference since buying the NorthPort franchise with a 4-7 record, got 31 points from Joshua Munzon and 28 points and 11 rebounds from Calvin Abueva.
Both Munzon and Abueva each also hit a clutch four-point shot inside the final 35 seconds to make it a close game at 106-105.
Abarrientos then hit two free throws at the other end for the final tally, as Munzon’s desperate attempt for a game-winner from the backcourt was way off at the buzzer.
The scores:
Ginebra (108) - Holt 27, Abarrientos 24, Cu 12, Thompson 11, Rosario 10, Torres 8, J.Aguilar 5, David 4, Estil 4, Gray 3, Abis 0.
Titan (105) - Munzon 31, Abueva 26, Dionisio 14, Balanza 9, Flores 8, Pessumal 4, Yu 3, Sangco 3, Melecio 3, Ular 2, Ambohot 2, Javillonar 0, Monje 0, Martinez 0
Quarterscores: 19-30; 42-55; 73-75; 108-105.
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