Tenorio lifts Ginebra to comeback win over NLEX

By Ivan Saldajeno

PASAY—Ginebra crawled back from 17 points down to clinch the seventh PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal spot via a 90-80 win over NLEX at the Cuneta Astrodome on Sunday night.

LA Tenorio tallied a conference-high 30 markers to lead the Barangay, who appeared to be heading to a blowout upset loss to the Road Warriors early on.

NLEX opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 37-20 lead.

But Ginebra finished the period on a 12-0 run of its own to cut the lead to four, 46-42, at halftime.

The rally continued in the second half and eventually took the lead for good, stretching it to as much as 15, 85-70, in the fourth quarter.

The Road Warriors tried to mount a comeback, cutting the lead down to seven, 87-80, but they failed to score in the last two minutes of the game, letting the Barangay escape.

Tenorio came close to a double-double as he grabbed nine rebounds while dishing four assists and getting three steals.

Joe Devance also flirted with a double-double with 19 points and eight rebounds with six assists and one block.

Scottie Thompson even came near a triple-double after tallying 11 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists with two steals.

Kevin Alas and Enrico Villanueva each tallied 14 points for NLEX, which finished its stint in the conference at 2-9.

The latter highlighted his vintage performance with two blocks alongside three rebounds and one steal.

Box Scores:

Ginebra 90-Tenorio 30, Devance 19, Mercado 13, Thompson 11, Aguilar 7, Marcelo 4, Ellis 2, Taha 2, Cruz 2, Ferrer 0, Caguioa 0

NLEX 80-Alas 14, E. Villanueva 14, Guinto 10, Lanete 8, Lastimosa 7, J. Villanueva 7, Khobuntin 7, Taulava 6, Rios 5, Camson 2, Gotladera 0, Baracael 0

Quarterscores: 20-28, 42-46, 72-64, 90-80

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno