BARANGAY Ginebra simply figured out how to win with its current lineup, cruising past Rain or Shine, 103-92, to barge into the win column of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Gin Kings pounced on an Elasto Painters side that was still feeling it out with new import Antoine Wright as they led most of the way en route to their first win in three outings.
Import Othyus Jeffers displayed Ginebra’s never-say-die attitude, bucking back spasms to finish with 38 points, 20 boards, three assists, and three blocks for the Gin Kings, who dealt the E-Painters their second straight loss after the conference with a win.
"It's a relief to get that one under our belts," Gin Kings coach Tim Cone said. “It’s a must win basically. We just couldn’t fall behind zero-three."
"We needed to win this just to get our confidence up and get confidence that we can do this the way we’re trying to do it: with a small import," he added.
Jeffers, the tournament’s smallest import at 6’2” 3/4, still stood tall as he matched his scoring output in his first game for the Gin Kings two weeks ago.
Greg Slaughter complemented well with their import, tallying 16 points and 14 rebounds in 33 minutes in his second game back after being sidelined with measles.
As a result, the Gin Kings maintained a double-digit cushion throughout and never let the E-Painters come closer than seven points in the final frame.
JR Quiñahan led ROS in a losing cause with 21 points and eight boards off the bench, while Wright, who just arrived earlier in the day to replace injured Wayne Chism, finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes.
The scores:
GIN 103 – Jeffers 38, Slaughter 16, Devance 13, Aguilar 10, Ellis 7, Thompson 5, Caguioa 4, Mercado 4, Tenorio 3, Marcelo 2, Cruz 1.
ROS 92 – Quinahan 21, Wright 16, Chan 13, Cruz 10, Ahanmisi 8, Belga 8, Ibanes 3, Almazan 2, Ponferrada 2, Tiu 1, Trollano 0
Quarterscores: 28-23; 53-44; 82-70; 103-92
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