By REYNALD MAGALLON
Ginebra outlasted San Miguel in their defensive showdown to squeeze out a thrilling 75-72 victory in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, June 24After a defense-oriented affair between the two teams all-game long, the Gin King pulled off the biggest stop in the final possession as Scottie Thompson did enough to bother CJ Perez’s layup attempt that could have sent the game to an extra period with four seconds left and seal the victory for Ginebra for a solo lead in the standings with a 4-1 record.Christian Standhardinger took the scoring cudgels for Ginebra with a double-double performance of 20 points,10 rebounds and five assists while outplaying San Miguel counterpart June Mar Fajardo who was limited to just six points although he grabbed 17 boards,
Thompson and Japeth Aguilar chipped in 15 points apiece while LA Tenorio added 11 markers as the Kings gave Ginebra head coach Tim Cone a fitting send off before he flies to the US to join the Miami Heat coaching staff for the NBA Summer League.
For the multi-titled coach it was Standhardinger’s defense on Fajardo that keyed the victory, especially singlehandedly limiting the six-time MVP to single digits.
“You can talk all you want about the numbers Christian put up but he didn’t get the Player of the Game because of his offense. He got the player of the game because of his defense on June Mar and the hustle in denying him, boxing him out,” said Cone.
“We didn’t get Christian much help at all and he was doing it all on his own. It was a tremendous defensive performance and we needed it because we were not hitting shots in the first half. We are not hitting anything,” he added.
After a first half that saw both squads figure in a defensive battle which resulted to a 33-33 affair at the break – the second lowest scoring first half this season, the offense slowly picked up in the second half with the King delivering the first blow to build a double-digit spread, 58-48, after a Thompson layup.
SMB retaliated as Perez and Simon Enciso, who paced the Beermen with 17 and 18 points respectively, caught fire in the fourth quarter to tie the game, 70-all with 3:35 left in the game.
Mo Tautuaa and Japeth Aguilar then traded baskets before Thompson pulled down a huge offensive board which led to Standhardinger’s go ahead basket with 1:31 left. Both teams came up dry in their next offensive sets before SMB’s final attempt was foiled by Thompson which virtually sealed the game for Ginebra.
In the first game, Magnolia got off to a hot start and took down the Phoenix Super LPG, 95-77.
The Fuel Masters, who were riding the crest of a two-game win streak heading into the match, got a harsh reality check from the Hotshots who opened the game with a blazing 11-0 run and never looked back en route to their second straight win for a 3-3 win-loss record.
Mark Barocca showed the way as he put up 21 points, six assists and five rebounds while Aris Dionisio provided support with 19 markers and seven boards for the Hotshots who also bucked the suspension of the enigmatic forward Calvin Abueva.
The scores:
First Game
Magnolia 95 – Barroca 21, Dionisio 19, Jalalon 15, Sangalang 14, Corpuz 14, Wong 5, Brill 3, Reavis 2, Escoto 2, Laput 0, Dela Rosa 0.
Phoenix 77 – Mocon 19, Manganti 11, Wright 9, Jazul 8, Anthony 6, Melecio 5, Perkins 5, Serrano 4,Muyang 4, Rios 3, Tio 3, Porter 0, Garcia 0.
Quarters: 24-11, 44-27, 63-43, 95-77.
Second Game
Ginebra 75 – Standhardinger 20, J.Aguilar 15, Thompson 15, Tenorio 11, Tolentino 9, Caperal 3, Mariano 2, David 0, Pinto 0, Chan 0, Salado 0.
San Miguel 72 – Enciso 18, Perez 17, Cruz 12, Lassiter 10, Fajardo 6, Tautuaa 5, Brondial 2, Herndon 2, Pessumal 0.
Quarters: 19-16, 33-33, 58-50, 75-72.
