Kings lean on late run to punish Energy Boosters
MANILA—It took Barangay Ginebra almost a full three quarters to get going, and coach Jong Uichico knows that this kind of effort won’t be enough when the Gin Kings play the big boys later on.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Uichico declared shortly after a 93-74 victory over lowly Barako Bull Friday night at the Cuneta Astrodome that put his squad at 2-2 in the PBA Philippine Cup.
“We just broke loose in the fourth quarter and that was basically the ballgame for us.
“We were shaky the entire time and we can’t do that against the contenders,” he continued. “It’s a good win obviously, because we got our morale back. Hopefully we can carry this over into Sunday’s game (against Derby Ace).”
The breakaway started late in the third when an 11-2 run sparked by Mark Caguioa opened up a 10-point lead for the Kings, 71-61, heading into the dying seconds of the quarter.
Ginebra, which trailed by five after the first period, then outplayed the Energy Boosters in the fourth, outscoring Barako Bull, 22-11, to complete one of the most lopsided results in the young tournament.
Caguioa hit seven of his 18 points in the third period while former two-time MVP Willie Miller added 15 as the Kings went on to deal the Boosters a second straight loss in a 1-3 card.
Rudy Hatfield scattered 13 points and cleared a conference-high 22 boards. He missed the chance to tie or surpass his career high of 23 after he was pulled out by Uichico with a good three minutes left in the contest.
“Rudy knows what his role is: rebound, defend and run the floor,” Uichico said. “We have too many scorers. We need some role players out there.”
Aris Dimaunahan paced the Boosters with 14 points and Mark Isip had 13 and 14 rebounds. Undrafted rookie Hans Thiele scored seven points and had seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, San Miguel and Powerade break their third place tie today when they clash in a road game presented by Phoenix Fuels at the Panabo City Sports Center in Davao del Norte.
Game time is 5 p.m. with both squads coming off wins, though the smart money has to be on the Beermen, whose star-studded lineup carried them through double-digit deficits in the first half to prevail over Ginebra last week. Photo by Mark Giongco
The scores:
GINEBRA 93—Caguioa 18, Miller 15, Hatfield 13, Cortez 11, Tubid 8, Helterbrand 8, Aquino 5, Intal 5, Wilson 5, Mamaril 3, Villanueva 2, Cruz 0.
BARAKO BULL 74—Dimaunahan 14, Isip 13, Hubalde 11, Salvacion 9, Juntilla 8, Thiele 7, Wainwright 7, Andaya 2, Misolas 2, Bono 1, Hermida 0, Cruz 0.
Quarters: 16-21, 45-39, 71-63, 93-74
GINEBRA 93—Caguioa 18, Miller 15, Hatfield 13, Cortez 11, Tubid 8, Helterbrand 8, Aquino 5, Intal 5, Wilson 5, Mamaril 3, Villanueva 2, Cruz 0.
BARAKO BULL 74—Dimaunahan 14, Isip 13, Hubalde 11, Salvacion 9, Juntilla 8, Thiele 7, Wainwright 7, Andaya 2, Misolas 2, Bono 1, Hermida 0, Cruz 0.
Quarters: 16-21, 45-39, 71-63, 93-74
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