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| Japeth Aguilar rose to the occasion again for the Gin Kings. Dennis Acosta |
PASAY--Ginebra almost lost a huge lead but still exerted enough effort to beat Rain Or Shine, 90-85, in their PBA Philippine Cup game on Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Both teams exchanged dominance per quarter, but the Gin Kings prevailed as the Elasto Painters came up just short of completing the comeback in the fourth quarter.
Ginebra surged ahead in the first quarter, opening a lead as high as 18 points and dropping 31 points before settling for the 15-point lead entering the second.
ROS, however, came back in the second quarter and was just within one, 44-45, at halftime.
The Gin Kings threatened to pull away again, opening a 21-point lead, 79-58, early in the fourth quarter.
However, the E-Painters rallied again and were just within five, 82-87, with 36 seconds left.
Clutch free throws eventually iced the game for Ginebra as ROS eventually fizzled in the end.
Japeth Aguilar followed up on his game-winner against the Blackwater Bossing with a solid performance of 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds, one assist, and two blocks for the Gin Kings, who now tie the San Miguel Beermen on top of the standings at 2-0.
Scottie Thompson added 16 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and two blocks.
Beau Belga made 14 points, making all of his five shots inside the three-point line, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and one steal for the E-Painters, who fell to 1-2 even as they reeled on the absence of Gabe Norwood and Rey Nambatac due to injuries.
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