Coming off an embarrassing 49-point defeat to San Miguel, Barangay Ginebra gets back on the PBA track by giving Phoenix a 16-point beating behind rookie RJ Abarrientos
MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra vented its ire on Phoenix as it redeemed itself from its worst loss in franchise history.
Coming off an embarrassing 49-point defeat to San Miguel, the Gin Kings got back on track in the PBA Governors’ Cup after giving Phoenix a 112-96 beating at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday, September 18.
Prized rookie RJ Abarrientos netted a season-high 24 points in a balanced attack that saw four of his teammates also score in double figures as Ginebra improved to 6-3 in Group B and secured its place in the quarterfinals.
Japeth Aguilar posted 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Scottie Thompson put up 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, with the two veterans setting the tone in the wire-to-wire win before Abarrientos took over.
“I don’t think I had to fire them up very much because the game we came off against San Miguel, we were all disappointed with that game. Basically, we’re ashamed of that game,” said Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone.
“Those are just some of the experiences that we’re trying to go through as a team. We go through some really tough times and that makes you a little tougher.”
“I was worried that might shake our confidence a little bit, but it didn’t. Guys came out, I thought, really got back to basics, really started to do their thing and we got control of the game early and kept it the whole way,” Cone added.
Thompson and Aguilar tallied 10 and 8 points, respectively, in the opening quarter as Ginebra mounted a 36-24 advantage — a lead that grew as big as 21 points, 87-66, as Abarrientos stole the show in the third period.
Abarrientos, who also finished with 5 rebounds and 5 assists, unloaded 13 points in the third quarter to help the Gin Kings enter the final frame with a sizable 90-75 cushion.
“For the players, we just needed to move on from that loss. I’m not saying that we’re not taking our 49-point loss to San Miguel seriously, but for me, we just needed to move forward,” said Abarrientos.
Justin Brownlee focused on spreading the wealth as he dished out a game-high 9 assists on top of 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals for Ginebra, while Maverick Ahanmisi chimed in 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Stephen Holt added 9 points — all from beyond the arc — with 7 rebounds as the Gin Kings booted the Fuel Masters out of playoff contention.
Absorbing its eighth loss in nine games, Phoenix crashed out of the quarterfinal race, leaving Blackwater (3-5) and NLEX (3-5) as the only teams vying for the last playoff spot up for grabs in Group B.
Jason Perkins and Sean Manganti led the Fuel Masters in scoring with 18 points apiece, while import Brandone Francis registered 17 points and 6 rebounds.
Rookie Kai Ballungay had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals in the loss.
The Scores
Barangay Ginebra 112 – Abarrientos 24, J.Aguilar 21, Thompson 20, Brownlee 13, Ahanmisi 12, Holt 9, R.Aguilar 4, Mariano 3, Pessumal 3, Adamos 2, Garcia 1, Tenorio 0, Pinto 0.
Phoenix 96 – Perkins 18, Manganti 18, Francis 17, Ballungay 16, Tuffin 9, Tio 6, Verano 4, Muyang 3, Soyud 3, Salado 2, Alejandro 0, Rivero 0, Ular 0, Jazul 0, Daves 0, Garcia 0.
Quarters: 36-24, 61-45, 90-75, 112-96.
– Rappler.com
