MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings handed San Miguel Beermen its first loss in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup with a 75-72 escape last night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
After seeing their once 10-point lead turn to a 62-64 deficit, the Gin Kings got consecutive points from Earl Scottie Thompson, Christian Standhardinger and Japeth Aguilar to regain a 68-64 lead.
Back-to-back triples by Simon Enciso and an inside hit by Moala Tautuaa gave the Beermen a 72-70 advantage but it was quickly tied by the Gin Kings at 72-all on a layup by Thompson.
An inside conversion from Standhardinger handed Barangay Ginebra the lead at 74-72. A split free throw by LA Tenorio with 2.9 seconds left sealed the win for the Kings.
Standhardinger finished with double-double 20 points and 10 rebounds to go with five assists and four steals. The Gin Kings moved up to solo first place in the standings with 4-1 slate.
Thompson had a near triple-double 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Aguilar had double-double 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Tenorio contributed 11 points for Barangay Ginebra.
Enciso top-scored with 18 points, Jaymar Perez added 17 markers, while Ilonggo Jericho Cruz and Marcio Lassiter had 12 and 11 markers, respectively, as the Beermen dropped to 3-1.
In the first game, Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots (3-3) bucked the absence of some key players to defeat Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters (2-3), 95-77.
The Hotshots leaned on the first half exploits of Andy Mark Barroca as they walloped the Fuel Masters despite playing minus suspended Calvin Abueva and injured Paul Lee.
Barroca finished the game with 21 points, with 13 coming in the first two quarters, while Aris Dionisio added career-high 19 markers for Magnolia Chicken.
Jiovani Jalalon flirted with triple-double 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Ian Sangalang and Jackson Corpuz had 14 points each for the Hotshots.
BOX SCORE:
GINEBRA 75 — Standhardinger 20, Thompson 15, J. Aguilar 15, Tenorio 11, Tolentino 9, Caperal 3, Mariano 2, Pinto 0, Chan 0, Salado 0, David 0.
SAN MIGUEL 72 — Enciso 18, Perez 17, Cruz 12, Lassiter 10, Fajardo 6, Tautuaa 5, Brondial 2, Herndon 2, Pessumal 0.
Quarterscores: 19-16, 33-33, 58-50, 75-72./PN
