PBA: Twin treys from Caguioa lift Ginebra past San Mig Coffee

(Updated 9:22pm) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the San Mig Coffee Mixers engaged in a three-point shootout in the final two minutes of the game, with the Barangay emerging victorious thanks to back-to-back treys from Mark 'The Spark' Caguioa, 96-88, on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Ginebra snapped the Mixers' three-game winning streak and now tie the Air21 Express' 2-5 record to share ninth place. After starting the conference with a 0-3 record, Ginebra has stabilized to 2-2 in their last four games. On the other hand, San Mig Coffee slid down to sixth place, tied with Talk 'N Text at 3-4. After an initial 7-4 deficit, Ginebra led by double-digits for most of the game and were ahead by as much as 15 points in the third period, but Joe Devance scored six straight markers to spur a 10-3 run, getting San Mig Coffee within striking distance, 80-72, with three minutes to play in the game. But on the next possession, Mark Pingris undercut a three-point try by Mark Caguioa, leading to two makes on the line for the swingman. However Ginebra grew lax, as they allowed Pingris to nail two charities of his own, and James Yap turned a Ginebra inbounds into an and-one play for SMC, 82-77, with a minute and a half remaining. Caguioa was not about to let this game slip away though, sandwiching free throws by Denzel Bowles with consecutive three-pointers, ending a four-minute field goal drought for Ginebra. James Yap quickly nailed a triple of his own but left Chris Ellis free for a fast break lay-up, 90-82, with 34 seconds to play. Joe Devance hit another three-pointer after a San Mig Coffee timeout and the Mixers quickly fouled LA Tenorio with 20 seconds to play in the hopes that he would miss. Tenorio however calmly made both from the line for 92-85 score. Yap made another triple, but Tenorio, who was sent to the line anew, still couldn't miss, 92-88. With 11 seconds remaining, a Bowles triple fell off the mark. Ginebra then fired the ball upcourt for a slam by Vernon Macklin, putting the exclamation point on the statement victory. Several Ginebra players registered impressive statlines in tonight's rivalry match. LA Tenorio was adjudged player of the game, as he lead his team with 12 points, 13 assists and four rebounds. Mark Caguioa tallied 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists, including a 5-of-7 clip from beyond the arc. Import Vernon Macklin had 20 points and 16 rebounds, while fellow big man Billy Mamaril added 13 points on a perfect 6-of-6 outing from the field. "Sinabi ko naman sa kanila kanina before the game, bilib lang ako sa [team ko]," said Ginebra head coach Alfrancis Chua. "Mas malaki ang puso nila, and it showed." "I kept telling the boys about the defense, and wala akong masabi sa kanilang depensa," he added. "Mark just kept trying in the fourth quarter. Pinakita lang ni Mark Caguioa that he's still Mark Caguioa." "If only we made a few more free throws in our last game, malaki-laki 'tong isdang nahuli namin," Chua pointed out, referring to their loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, who currently occupy solo second place in the standings, last March 3. James Yap connected on huge contested shots early in the first quarter, giving the Mixers the early 5-2 lead, but Ginebra countered behind six straight from Billy Mamaril, while LA Tenorio and Mark Caguioa got off quick shots to take a 12-7 advantage. San Mig Coffee caught a break after a lay-up by Denzel Bowles and a Mark Barocca transition lay-up to get into double digits, but Ginebra's attack continued coming in waves, as Caguioa, Vernon Macklin and Kerby Raymundo made it a 24-14 game. With under a minute to play, Bowles split from the line and Yap drained a floater to ease the deficit after the first quarter, 24-17. With the imports out for the first six minutes of the second quarter, San Mig Coffee leaned on the front court tandem of Mark Pingris and Yancy De Ocampo. Ginebra forced turnovers and shared the ball, countering with baskets from Mac Baracael and Chris Ellis. The Mixers got within four on a bucket by Leo Najorda, but Ginebra repelled them as a Caguioa baseline fadeaway made it a double-digit game anew, 39-29. Ginebra began to pull away in the last four minutes, as they played the passing lanes and limited the Mixers' scoring chances. They closed the quarter on back-to-back treys from Caguioa and Chris Ellis, creating a 48-35 lead at halftime. In the first half, Ginebra made 21-of-39 field goals (53.8 percent) on 14 assists. San Mig Coffee had more shot attempts in the first half but were only 15-of-43 (34.9 percent) on eight assists. Ginebra also owned a 5-1 margin in steals, leading to a 13-4 disparity in turnover points. After the halftime break, Bowles and Macklin exchanged shots, but the latter got the upper hand and gave Ginebra a 52-39 lead. Yap sent home a long three-pointer, and Joe Devance added consecutive layups for a 7-2 run, while Tenorio and Mamaril countered with buckets of their own. Caguioa buried another triple to bring the lead back up to 15 points. With just over four minutes to play, San Mig Coffee struggled to convert easy shots at the rim. Bowles was the only Mixer who could hit, scoring and willing his way to 10 straight points against a cool-handed Ginebra squad. On their last possession, Alex Mallari snuck in a breakaway lay-up to cut the deficit to nine after three quarters, 67-58. Ginebra took back the momentum in authoritative fashion in the fourth quarter as they shrunk the floor for the Mixers. Tenorio dished to Macklin twice for highlight plays - first a halfcourt pass for a reverse lay-up in transition, and another pass for a fast break slam - to bring their tally to 73-60. The Mixers had trouble fending off Ginebra's incursions in the lane, as Ellis, Tenorio and Caguioa scored on drives. But with under six minutes to play, Devance made a stand and scored six straight, making the bulk of a 10-3 run. Mark Barocca finished one in transition to make it a single-digit game, 80-72, with three minutes and change to play. Ginebra made 39-of-72 tries from the floor (54.2 percent) on 27 assists. In contrast, San Mig Coffee was 34-of-88 from the floor (38.6 percent) on 19 assists, despite winning the rebounding battle (47-42), including 22-9 on the offensive end. Ginebra also led in fast break points, 14-8. Denzel Bowles notched 25 points and 16 rebounds, albeit on 8-of-21 shooting from the floor. James Yap added 21 points on an 8-of-22 clip. Joe Devance registered 13 points and seven rebounds, including six offensive, while front court partner Marc Pingris tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. - RAF/AMD GMA News The scores: GINEBRA 96 - Caguioa 25, Macklin 20, Mamaril 13, Tenorio 12, Ellis 11, Raymundo 6, Labagala 4, Baracael 4, Maierhofer 1 SAN MIG COFFEE 88 - Bowles 25, Yap 21, Devance 13, Pingris 11, Mallari 4, Barroca 4, Simon 4, De Ocampo 4, Najorda 2, Gaco 0 Quarters: 24-17, 48-35, 67-58, 96-88