Ginebra redeems self, rips NorthPort to even semis series

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Banking on a fiery first quarter, Barangay Ginebra returned to its lethal form to whip NorthPort, 113-88, and level the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals at 1-1 Monday night at Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

The crowd darlings rebounded from an embarrassing loss on Sunday firing on all cylinders with its backcourt duo of Stanley Pringle and LA Tenorio leading the way with 23 points and 20, respectively.

“I thought we came in with a lot of playoff intensity this time,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

“Today was a lot better than (Sunday). We shot the ball well, and we had a good game defensively,” he added.

Four more tossed in double-digit scores, including Greg Slaughter and Jeff Chan, who came off the bench to score 16 and 12 points, respectively. Justin Brownlee added 15 while Scottie Thompson chipped in 13 points.

Import Michael Qualls, who was a major factor in the Batang Piers’ Game 1 triumph, only got into his groove halfway through the contest to finish with 20.

Sean Anthony and Christian Standhardinger scored 19 and 10 in the losing effort for NorthPort.

The two teams break the tie on Wednesday night still at the Big Dome.

The scores:

Ginebra 113 – Pringle 23, Tenorio 20, Slaughter 16, Brownlee 15, Thompson 13, Chan 12, Aguilar 6, Mariano 5, Dillinger 3, Sargent 0, Caperal 0, Teodoro 0, Dela Cruz 0.

NorthPort 88 – Qualls 20, Anthony 19, Standhardinger 10, Escoto 9, Cruz 8, Elorde 7, Taha 5, Lanete 5, King 3, Mercado 2, Ferrer 0.

Quarterscores: 31-18, 62-44, 94-70, 113-88.