Gin Kings absorb second straight lopsided loss
Brgy. Ginebra absorbed a double-digit loss for the second straight time in 4 nights, with the latest coming at the hands of Governors’ Cup Finals rival Meralco, 90-73, Wednesday night in the elimination round of the PBA Season 47 Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Gin Kings fell to TNT by 14 just last Sunday and are currently at 6-3 and already out of the running for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal round. The Bolts, on the other hand, improved to 5-3 after picking up back-to-back wins.
Chris Newsome led the charge for Meralco with 19 points on top of 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 32 minutes of play.
“It was nice to see multiple guys chip in from our team. The last game against Rain or Shine the first group played well, the second group needed improvement and we talked about that,” said Bolts assistant coach Luigi Trillo who called the shots in the absence of Norman Black.
“We really needed this win just for our playoff hopes and we actually want to get a win because it’s Coach Luigi’s birthday and for Coach Norman who’s not here with us,” added Cliff Hodge who was adjudged as the best player of the match.
Chris Banchero contributed 17 points while Hodge and Bong Quinto chipped in 14 and 10 markers, respectively. Raymond Almazan hauled down a game-high 15 boards in addition to 6 points, 2 assists and 2 blocks.
Scottie Thompson paced the suddenly-struggling Gin Kings with 14 points while Nards Pinto added 12. Japeth Aguilar pumped in 11 points and 13 rebounds while Christian Standhardinger chipped in 10 and 7.
Brgy. Ginebra will go on a 3-day respite before taking on skidding NorthPort on Sunday, July 17 at the same venue,
The scores:
Meralco 90 – Newsome 19, Banchero 17, Hodge 14, Quinto 10, Black 9, Maliksi 8, Almazan 6, Pascual 4, Johnson 3, Baclao 0, Jose 0, Pasaol 0, Hugnatan 0, Caram 0, Belo 0.
Brgy. Ginebra 73 – Thompson 14, Pinto 12, Aguilar 11, Standhardinger 10, Tenorio 7, Pringle 6, Chan 5, Caperal 4, David 2, Mariano 2.
Quarterscores: 24-16, 51-33, 72-50, 90-73.
