Barangay Ginebra turned to their “Never Say Die” spirit to hack out an exciting 92-89 OT win over Star in the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup playoffs at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Before a crowd of 21,808 in attendance, the likes of Sol Mercado, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson and LA Tenorio simply refused to go down without a fight.
The unlikely combo made key stops and scored when it mattered the most to help Ginebra claw its way back from as much as 18 points down.
The Kings actually had a chance to ice their comeback when Mercado stole the ball of James Yap. His layup however rimmed out as time expired, sending the game to overtime with the score at 80-all.
In the extra period, the game turned into a three-point shoot out with both teams firing. But in the end, it was Tenorio’s trey that mattered the most, eliminating the Hotshots in dramatic fashion.
Despite the big win, head coach Tim Cone refused to take credit for the victory for the game. He admits that the game was amazing and something new for his part.
“These guys just played with a big heart, not quitting and going at it while I’m long gone. They are making me look good but I probably don’t deserve the good looks,” says Cone during the post-game interview.
“Actually kahit kami parang nawalan ng loob eh, pero I have to give credit to my teammates (Sol Mercado, Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar and Dave Marcelo) na talagang nag step up. Kala namin talo na talaga kami pero yung never say die spirit ng Barangay Ginebra di nawala sa game na ito,” says Tenorio.
.@LA_Tenorio with the unbelievable game-winning 3 as @BarangayGinebra beats Star to advance in playoffs pic.twitter.com/HploMVsfyh
— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) December 25, 2015