Ginebra import Tony Bishop during the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals against NorthPort.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–Barangay Ginebra built an early cushion en route to a 106-93 win over NorthPort Friday night for a seat in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
Import Tony Bishop Jr. and Jamie Malonzo accounted for nearly half of the Gin Kings’ output at PhilSports Arena as the defending champions arranged a best-of-five clash with powerhouse San Miguel beginning Wednesday.
And Tim Cone feels that his charges still plenty to polish to be ready for the outrageously deep Beermen.
“There’s a lot we need to clean up to meet San Miguel at even terms,” Cone said in the post-game presser.
“I haven’t really done a lot of studying on San Miguel yet … We’re just gonna try to find ways to make them uncomfortable and do that for three games. We have a couple of days to really sink our teeth into them and decide how to proceed,” he added.
Ginebra forward Jamie Malonzo during the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals against NorthPort on Friday.-MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Bishop Jr. and Malonzo, however, looked primed for such a challenge with the Panamanian standout finishing 31 points and 15 rebounds, while Malonzo 21 and seven.
Best Player of the Conference frontrunner Christian Standhardinger Maverick Ahanmisi, an offseason pickup, added 16 more for the Gin Kings who also made the most out of an Arvin Tolentino-less Batang Pier.
NorthPort got the goods from JM Calma and Joshua Munzon who finished with 19 points each, while Venky Jois delivered 18 more that went with 14 rebounds and 12 assists.
The last time Ginebra and San Miguel battled in the semifinals was in the previous Governors’ Cup, which was eventually ruled by the Gin Kings.
Meanwhile, Phoenix and Meralco face off one last time this Sunday for the right to play Magnolia in the other semifinal pairing.
The Scores:
GINEBRA 106 – Bishop 31, Malonzo 21, Standhardinger 18, Ahanmisi 16, Pringle 8, Thompson 4, Tenorio 3, Pinto 3, J.Aguilar 2, Onwubere 0, Pessumal 0.
NORTHPORT 93 – Munzon 19, Calma 19, Jois 18, Zamar 12, Paraiso 5, Flores 4, Bulanadi 4, Yu 3, Chan 3, Taha 2, Rosales 2, Adamos 2, Amores 0.
Quarterscores: 25-22, 55-35, 76-63, 106-93.