PBA IMAGES
Barangay Ginebra found a courageous Blackwater crew tough to crack Saturday night, needing two overtimes to pound out a 102-94 victory and make the quarterfinals of the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup at Angeles University Foundation gym.
Greg Slaughter scored 35 points and Japeth Aguilar 25 and the Gin Kings made the most out of a golden chance with four seconds left in regulation when Jason Ballesteros missed two free throws that could have won it for Blackwater.
Still, it was a true grind that the Gin Kings had to go through as Blackwater fought with all its might to make it past the eliminations for the first time in its PBA participation.
Ginebra improved to 5-4 and climbed to the upper half of the standings, while the Elite dropped to 1-7, still out of the playoff picture.
Blackwater also had a chance to win it near the end of the first extension, but Art Dela Cruz, the rookie out of San Beda, missed a three-pointer.
“I told the guys before the game that we are going to bleed for this one, and we bled a lot more than we thought we were going to,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said after also drawing 19 points from star point guard LA Tenorio.
Meanwhile, Rain or Shine tries to stay firmly in the fight for the top two finish when the Elasto Painters collide with Talk ‘N Text when action returns to Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
With a 6-1 card, the Painters can again reclaim a piece of the lead with idle defending champion San Miguel Beer and Alaska after their 5:15 p.m. confrontation with the Texters, who are coming off a loss to Barako Bull.
Star and Mahindra, on the other hand, will be shooting for a win that would fan their respective playoff chances in the 3 p.m. game.
The Hotshots and the Enforcers are tied with 2-6 records and would be the last teams making the playoffs if it were to start today.
The scores:
GINEBRA 102—Slaughter 35, Aguilar 25, Tenorio 19, Thompson 9, Caguioa 4, Cruz 4, Ellis 4, Devance 2, Mercado 0, Villamor 0, Salva 0.
BLACKWATER 94—Cervantes 13, Dela Cruz 11, Erram 10, Gamalinda 10, Lastimosa 10, Canada 9, Ballesteros 8, Cortez 8, Reyes 6, Sena 4, Agovida 3, Golla 2, Melano 0.
Quarters: 27-22, 42-46, 65-61, 84-84, 92-92, 102-94