Streaking Gin Kings drub Batang Pier

Brgy. Ginebra surged ahead in the final quarter to defeat NorthPort, 103-93, and remain in contention for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal round of the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup.

Sparked by Japeth Aguilar, Tony Bishop, Scottie Thompson, and Maverick Ahanmisi, the Gin Kings went on a decisive 12-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to pull away from a determined Batang Pier side.

The outburst transformed a five-point lead into a commanding 96-79 advantage after Ahanmisi sank a corner three-pointer with 4:37 left.

With their third consecutive victory, Brgy. Ginebra improved to 7-3, tied for fourth and fifth spots with sister team San Miguel.

Despite being a game-time decision due to a hurting knee, Bishop still led the defending champs with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals in 40 minutes of action.

“He banged up his knee in practice. There’s some swelling, but all the ligaments are intact. So it’s just a matter of maintenance, icing it down, keep the swelling out, and hopefully it will be OK,” said Cone during the post-game presser.

Jamie Malonzo and Christian Standhardinger finished with 16 points each, while the team also got key contributions from Aguilar (15 points), Ahanmisi (13 points), and Stanley Pringle (10 points).

Thompson was held to just 7 points but he still managed to make an impact with 7 rebounds and 10 of the Gin Kings’ 35 assists.

For NorthPort, Arvin Tolentino knocked down 4-of-8 from beyond the arc for a team-high 27 points, while import Venky Jois delivered 21 points and 17 boards.

The Batang Pier stayed close for most of the game, trailing by just 5, 84-79, with 8:29 left, until Brgy. Ginebra’s massive run put the match out of reach.

The scores

Brgy. Ginebra 103 – Bishop 26, Malonzo 16, Standhardinger 16, J.Aguilar 15, Ahanmisi 13, Pringle 10, Thompson 7, Tenorio 0, Pinto 0, Onwubere 0, Cu 0, Gumaru 0.

NorthPort 93 – Tolentino 27, Jois 21, Zamar 11, Calma 10, Yu 8, Munzon 6, Chan 5, Paraiso 5, Flores 0, Rosales 0, Amores 0, Adamos 0.

Quarterscores: 24-26, 50-50, 77-72, 103-93.