Ginebra guard Stanley Pringle. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Barangay Ginebra momentarily took the all-important eighth spot after a gritty 94-87 win over Phoenix in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday at DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
The Gin Kings, who lost three of their last four, hiked their record to 4-5 with two games remaining in their schedule while the Fuel Masters, who were carrying back-to-back wins prior to the match, dropped to ninth with a 4-6 slate.
Stanley Pringle and LA Tenorio went to work in the dying moments of the game as the two put on a 7-0 closing run to complete the Gin Kings’ comeback.
Tenorio’s triple gave the Gin Kings a 92-87 buffer with a minute to play before Pringle sank the dagger jumper from the baseline with 31.8 seconds remaining in the game.
Pringle puts it up and in! Perkins quick to answer.
87-all, 2:34 4q #PBAiTuloyAngLaban pic.twitter.com/Jxmc9WXyTe
— PBA (@pbaconnect) September 15, 2021
“This was a big game, we need that to obviously not just to move up the standings but to create something positive around the team,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone. “This is a tough situation. When you start to lose everything starts to weigh on you.”
The Gin Kings, however, are still in a dangerous spot as a loss could send them out of the playoff picture.
Ginebra’s roster is also on the edge as 6-foot-9 power forward Japeth Aguilar is out for the foreseeable future to a sprain in his MCL.
With Aguilar out, the interior responsibility fell solely on Christian Standhardinger but the 6-foot-9 center delivered with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals.
Pringle lit up for 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting with seven boards while Tenorio, who went 0-of-13 in the previous game, added 23 points while going 6-of-11 from deep.
Jason Perkins had a team-high 30 points and eight rebounds for the Fuel Masters who have just one more game left on their schedule.