Ginebra stays in top 2 contention, zaps Meralco

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Ginebra repulsed Meralco, 103-90, to stay in the hunt for a top two finish in the 2016 Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup Wednesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Gin Kings climbed to 7-4 and are currently tied with Rain or Shine in third place but they can still get the last twice-to-beat advantage if NLEX beats Alaska and TNT defeats San Miguel on Friday.

“Obviously, we had a lot more at stake than they did. It’s much more important for us,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, whose team could slip to as low as seventh had it lost while Meralco had already secured its place in the top two slots.

Greg Slaughter led the Gin Kings with 21 points and four rebounds, but more than anything, he kept the Bolts’ hulking import Arinze Onuaku in check.

“We played well from start to finish, defended Onuaku very well, and Greg did a great defensive job all game long,” said Cone.

LA Tenorio added 20 markers and four rebounds, while Mark Caguioa had 16 while also joining former Gin King Arnie Tuadles in the 18th all-time leader in scoring with 9,430 career points.

Japeth Aguilar chipped in 14 points and five rebounds, while import Othyus Jeffers got a near triple-double of 11 markers, 15 boards, and nine assists.

After trailing by as much as 22, 67-45 midway in the third quarter, Meralco roared back to cut the lead to just 13, 90-77, after a Chris Newsome basket with 6:01 left.

But Ginebra, which halted Meralco’s three-game winning streak, put its foot on the gas pedal anew to bring the lead back to 19, 99-80 with 3:31 remaining.

“We knew it’s going to be a defensive bout, but we came in, hit some shots early, and we were able to continue it through. We lost our composure from time-to-time, but we recaptured it and we kept on moving forward,” said Cone.

Chris Newsome paced Meralco with 23 points, five boards, and five rebounds, while Jared Dillinger got 17 markers.

Onuaku was limited to a conference-low 10 points and had 16 boards.

The scores:

GINEBRA 103 – Slaughter 21, Tenorio 20, Caguioa 16, Aguilar 14, Jeffers 11, Ellis 10, Marcelo 4, Thompson 3, Mercado 2, Devance 2, Helterbrand 0, Cruz 0.

MERALCO 90 – Newsome 23, Dillinger 17, Hodge 13, Hugnatan 11, Onuaku 10, Caram 5, Faundo 4, Ro. Buenafe 3, Amer 2, Ferriols 2, Alapag 0, Bono 0, Ry. Buenafe 0.

Quarters: 27-14, 51-39, 80-66, 103-90.