BARANGAY Ginebra cruised to the semifinals of the PBA 48th season Commissioner’s Cup, defeating NorthPort, 106-93, on Friday at the Philsports Arena.
Tony Bishop finished with 31 points and 14 rebounds, Jamie Malonzo had 21 points, and the Gin Kings extended their winning streak to five entering the semifinal round where they will face sister team San Miguel in a best-of-five affair.
The shorthanded Batang Pier were unable to put up a fight without their leading scorer Arvin Tolentino, who was a surprise scratch due to a knee injury.
Ginebra led by as many as 23 points, 58-35, at the start of the third quarter, and kept a safe distance even in the face of a mini-uprising by NorthPort.
Though they won, Ginebra coach Tim Cone admitted he wasn’t satisfied with the team’s play in the second half.
“I’m certainly disappointed with our play in the second half,” Cone said. “I thought we really came out and play with a playoff intensity in the first half, only giving up 35 points. I really liked our effort.”
“Second half, we came out, was a little bit sloppy, we weren’t getting back on defense. I think we started to take the game for granted. You do that against San Miguel, you are going to be blown out,” Cone added.
Christian Standhardinger had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while Maverick Ahanmisi chipped in 16 points and made four threes.
Joshua Munzon and JM Calma finished with 19 points apiece, while Venky Jois had 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists for the Batang Pier at the close of their conference.
The scores:
Barangay Ginebra 106 – Bishop 31, Malonzo 21, Standhardinger 18, Ahanmisi 16, Pringle 8, Thompson 4, Tenorio 3, Pinto 3, J. Aguilar 2, Pessumal 0, Onwubere 0.
NorthPort 93 – Calma 19, Munzon 19, Jois 18, Zamar 12, Paraiso 5, Bulanadi 4, Flores 4, Yu 3, Chan 3, Taha 2, Rosales 2, Adamos 0, Amores 0.
Quarters: 25-22; 55-35; 76-63; 106-93.
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