Eastern takes down weary Brgy. Ginebra
A well-rested Eastern team thwarted Brgy. Ginebra’s pursuit of a third win in five nights, edging out the fatigued Gin Kings, 93-90, in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo on Sunday.
Hayden Blankley and his teammates largely controlled the game, though they had to weather a tense final moments as Scottie Thompson’s potential game-winning three-pointer clanged off the rim at the buzzer.
Under the guidance of Coach Mensur Bajramovic, Eastern notched their third consecutive victory, improving to 5-1 and handing the Kings their first loss after two wins. This defeat left Ginebra looking up at NorthPort, the only remaining unbeaten team at 5-0.
The Batang Pier will seek win No. 6 as they face off against the winless Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters (0-4) on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Kings will regroup after a two-day break before clashing with the Terrafirma Dyip, also at NAS, on Wednesday.
The Kings not only suffered a disappointing loss but also saw Japeth Aguilar exit the game in the dying seconds with an apparent injury. The 6-foot-9 Ginebra center/forward was making an athletic move during an Eastern defensive play when he landed awkwardly, visibly grimacing and clutching his groin.
Aguilar had been a standout for the Gin Kings, finishing with 26 points, along with eight rebounds, three steals, two assists, and two blocks before his untimely exit.
In contrast, Justin Brownlee had a rough outing, managing just 18 points on a dismal 6-of-23 shooting from the field, including 0-of-4 from beyond the arc and 0-of-6 from three-point range, alongside 12 rebounds.
Eastern import Chris McLaughlin delivered a dominant performance, contributing 20 points and an impressive 21 rebounds, along with six assists, two blocks, and one steal, while committing only two turnovers, remaining undefeated (3-0) since joining the team in place of Cam Clark.
Leading the scoring for Eastern, Blankley racked up 25 points, with Ramon Cao and Glen Yang adding 14 and 11 points, respectively.
