PLAYING with a black eye, Jamie Malonzo still saw clearly enough to steer Barangay Ginebra to a 113-107 victory over Rain or Shine for a solid start to its PBA Philippine Cup campaign on Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Fit enough to play after an offseason restaurant fight, Malonzo dropped a career-high 32 points, built around five triples, and completing his statline with eight boards, four blocks, three assists, and two steals to set the tone for the opening victory.
Maverick Ahanmisi added 18 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists as he became the primary facilitator without Scottie Thompson due to a bad back.
The Gin Kings also kept the Elasto Painters winless in three games.
Malonzo looked like he was hardly nursing an eye injury as he tallied 15 points in the first quarter to give the Gin Kings a seven-point lead, a cushion that grew to 15 points late in the third period.
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“We’re really proud of Jamie for what we he did tonight, how he did, and how he came back to practice and let his game do the talking,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said.
The E-Painters came to within four points, 111-107, after an Adrian Nocum layup with 16 seconds left, but Ahanmisi drew a foul a hit two charities to seal the deal.
Christian Standhardinger finished with a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds alongside six assists, and one steal in over 40 minutes of play, while Japeth Aguilar added 17 points and three caroms.
The ROS loss spoiled a solid showing from Anton Asistio, who put up 21 points, spiked by five treys, four rebounds, and two assists without a turnover in less than 23 minutes of play.
The scores:
GINEBRA 113 – Malonzo 32, Ahanmisi 18, Standhardinger 18, Aguilar 17, Pringle 12, Cu 7, Pinto 5, Gumaru 3, Tenorio 1, Onwubere 0, Pessumal 0
ROS 107 – Asistio 21, Mamuyac 16, Caracut 16, Santillan 16, Nocum 12, Belga 9, Borboran 8, Norwood 5, Clarito 4, Demusis 0, Datu 0
Quarterscores: 33-26, 58-52, 92-79, 113-107
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