PBA: Ginebra clobbers Rain or Shine to stay unbeaten

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel put on a show on Sunday, as Mark Caguioa and LA Tenorio teamed up with bigs Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar to claim a 97-84 win against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Ginebra joined sister team Petron Blaze Boosters and the surprising Barako Bull Energy Cola at the top of the standings with perfect 2-0 records, while Rain or Shine took a step back to 2-1.

"Nanalo kami dahil maganda start namin," said Ginebra head coach Ato Agustin. "Yung energy, yung hustle, yung team effort nandon. Dahil sa mga big guys namin, na-dictate namin yung tempo of the game at we controlled the boards."

Mark Caguioa paced Ginebra with 22 points, four boards and three assists, while hitting 9-of-12 from the field.

Ginebra was able to maintain a double-digit advantage in the first two quarters, before Rain or Shine started to threaten in the third. Baskets from Jeff Chan and Paul Lee had the Elasto Painters humming, 61-54, as Gabe Norwood and Beau Belga registered makes to cut the lead to two, 64-62.

There was a stoppage of play at the 1:08 mark, as Jay-R Reyes charged at Beau Belga after the latter hit him hard on a drive. Rain or Shine wasn't able to capitalize though, struggling from the foul line, while Japeth Aguilar converted with a slam at the other end.

With time winding down for the final play of the quarter, LA Tenorio drove to the lane only to find a wall of defenders. The guard opted for a fadeaway with 0.3 remaining that hit, stretching Ginebra's lead entering the fourth, 68-62.

Ginebra was relentless at the start of the final period, with Greg Slaughter, Tenorio, and even rookie James Forrester contributing to an 8-2 run, 76-64.

After Raymond Almazan offered a meek reply, the Barangay went on to have another 6-0 run, punctuated by a slam by Aguilar for an 18-point lead, 84-66.

The Elasto Painters would go on their final run, as Ryan Araña strung together eight points, while Almazan canned a dunk, 88-79. Coach Yeng Guiao's squad run out of steam in the final two minutes though, as Tenorio, Caguioa and Slaughter powered Ginebra to a 95-79 advantage late in the game to secure the victory.

It was a high-scoring afternoon for Ginebra's fantastic four. In addition to Caguioa, Japeth Aguilar scored 19 points, to go with 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Number one overall pick Greg Slaugther flashed a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds, plus another three rejections, while LA Tenorio stuffed the stats sheet with 10 markers, nine boards, eight dimes and five steals.

Starting forward Ryan Arana led Rain or Shine with 21 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. Jeff Chan nailed 4-of-8 triples en route to 14 markers, while Jervy Cruz managed 11 points, seven boards and three assists.

Third overall pick Raymond Almazan figured in just 14 minutes, but was effective with nine points, nine boards and two swipes.

Rain or Shine doubled-up on turnover points, 18-9, but their defense failed to stop Ginebra, giving up 49.3 percent shooting while the squad converted jus 31-of-82 from the field. - AMD, GMA News

 

Ginebra 97 - Caguioa 22, Aguilar 19, Slaughter 18, Tenorio 10, Ellis 9, Helterbrand 6, Reyes 5, Ababou 3, Forrester 3, Baracael 2, Monfort 0, Mamaril 0

 

Rain or Shine 84 - Arana 21, Chan 14, Cruz 11, Almazan 9, Belga 8, Nuyles 6, Lee 5, Rodriguez 4, Norwood 3, Quinahan 2, Ibanes 1, Tang 0, Teng 0

 

Quarter scoring: 29-19, 48-37, 68-62, 97-84


Source: Gmanetwork.com