By Patrick Sutare
QUEZON CITY--Barangay Ginebra used a prolific second half assault to overcome a forgettable start and pull away against Mahindra for a bounce back win 89-70, in the PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Plagued by turnovers, the Gin Kings had to survive a rough start scoring wise before trouncing the struggling Floodbuster late.
An early blow out appeared to be in the process as Ginebra took off on a 14-4 edge. But Mahindra refused to as it launched its own 9-0 blast to end the first quarter capped by a buzzer beating triple from rookie Reden Celda to come to within one into the second canto, 14-13.
The offensive woes persisted for the guys in red heading to the dugout break. But thanks to their defense as they were able to force Mahindra into bad shots as well, holding them off to just 27 points against their 32.
With an upset knocking on its door, Ginebra stepped on the gas pedal in third frame, with the charge led by Chris Ellis and LA Tenorio, to finally break the game wide open and register its second win of the season.
Japeth Aguilar hoisted for 15 points and 12 boards after dominating the paint for most of the way. Rookie Kevin Ferrer got the best game yet of his professional career as he scored 12 behind four triples.
Mark Yee led Mahindra with 15 points while former Ginebra player Nico Salva tallied 11 as Mahindra remained winless after five games.
The scores:
Ginebra 89 - Aguilar 15, Ellis 12, Ferrer 12, Mariano 9, Taha 8, Thompson 6, Devance 6, Mercado 6, Tenorio 5, Jamito 4, Marcelo 4, De Guzman 2, Cruz 0, Caguioa 0
Mahindra 70 - Yee 15, Salva 11, Celda 9, Escoto 6, Mallari 6, Elorde 5, Eriobu 4, Teng 4, Arana 3, Revilla 3, Apinan 2, Paniamogan 2, Ballesteros 0, Digregorio 0, Webb 0
Quarterscores: 14-13, 32-27, 55-47, 89-70
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