.jpg) |
| Stephen Holt helped derail Rain or Shine with six threes. PBA Images |
MANILA--Ginebra secured the last twice-to-beat advantage in the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals after tripping Rain Or Shine, 98-80, in the final game of the elimination round on Sunday night at the Ynares Center 1 in Antipolo.
The Gin Kings, who dropped 32 points in the first quarter, weathered a second quarter storm from the Elasto Painters, who needed to win by at least 15 points to steal the Top 4 finish, and restored control of the game in the second half, holding them to just 13 in the fourth period.
Stephen Holt fired 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including 6-for-11 from three-point land, with 12 rebounds, and four assists for Ginebra, which will enter the next round and will face fifth-seeded Converge on Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Japeth Aguilar added 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, 10 rebounds, and two assists, while Jamie Malonzo chipped in 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
Adrian Nocum and Santi Santillan each scored 13 points, with the latter also grabbing 10 boards for ROS, which dropped to the seventh seed and will battle twice-to-beat NLEX in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
The other quarterfinal pairing sealed in the process is a showdown between third-seeded Magnolia and sixth-seeded TNT.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
.jpg&description=Ginebra clinches last Top 4 bonus with rout of ROS in PBA PH Cup elims finale){kind=link}