WATCH: Aljon Mariano Highlights [Brgy. Ginebra vs Phoenix | July 21, 2022]

Brgy. Ginebra ended the elimination round of the PBA Season 47 Philippine Cup on a winning note, via 100-93 mauling of already-eliminated Phoenix Super LPG Thursday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The Gin Kings picked up their second straight win, 8th overall, against 3 losses and moved up to solo 3rd place in the team standings. The Fuel Masters, on the other hand, wrapped up their All-Filipino Cup campaign with a 3-8 record.

Japeth Aguilar, coming off a bout with dengue, came through with an impressive performance and led the crowd darlings with 17 points on a efficient 7-of-9 shooting to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block in just 19 minutes of action.

“It’s an eliminations-long process for us. We always think of the eliminations being our preparation for the playoffs,” said Brgy. Ginebra head coach Tim Cone during the post-game press conference.

“Today was especially important because it’s the one before we actually go so we want to be playing at a high level.”

Reigning MVP Scottie Thompson contributed a double-double of 14 points and 14 boards while Aljon Mariano added 13 markers. Nards Pinto and Stanley Pringle chipped in 10 points apiece.

Jason Perkins paced the Fuel Masters with 17 points while Sean Anthony, Tyler Tio and Larry Muyang added 16, 13 and 12 markers, respectively.