PBA: Clutch Caguioa propels Ginebra ahead of Alaska

The Barangay Ginebra Kings showed off their royal demeanor, overcoming a 16-point first half Alaska Aces lead to dispose of the floundering squad, 90-81, Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in the 2012 PBA Governors' Cup
 
Alaska got off to a fast start, outscoring Ginebra 13-2 to start the first quarter. It took awhile, but the Kings managed to snap out of their slump, just enough to post double-digit points, 10, to Alaska's 23 at the end of the period.
 
In the second quarter, points continued to pour in from all around for the Aces. RJ Jazul hit back-to-back threes to give Alaska a 15-point lead, 37-22, but that wouldn't be the largest lead as a Sonny Thoss post move pushed the advantage to 16, 42-26.
 
Back-to-back hits by Mike Cortez and Mark Caguioa staunched the bleeding somewhat for the Kings, but they found themselves still down, 46-33, entering halftime.
 
Come the third, the 2012 Commissioner's Cup Best Player of the Conference Caguioa started to lead the charge as Ginebra crawled its way back to the game. "The Spark" got agressive in the paint, cutting the lead to 10, 52-42.
 
The Kings weren't done, as they scored six straight to cut the lead to one, 55-54. Back-to-back hits by Smart Gilas II selection Enrico Villanueva tied the game at 58, before a Niño Canaleta fadeaway finally put the Kings ahead, 60-59. 
 

Tied at 65 at the end of the third, Ginebra went full throttle in the fourth, going on a 17-3 run to build a commanding 14-point advantage, 82-68.
 
Villanueva's former collegiate teammate LA Tenorio responded by scoring five of his own to bring the lead back down to nine, 84-73, but the Aces point guard got little help from his teammates, with the Kings protecting the lead in the final stretch to secure the win, 90-81.
 
"In the first half, we just couldn't buy a basket. We have to be aggressive. Siguro we need to have a flow on our offense. We need to keep running our plays; we need to move the ball around," said Caguioa.

The fiery leader of Ginebra produced 22 points to lead all scorers, along with five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Import Cedric Bozeman added a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Villanueva and Mike Cortez each tallied 12 markers.

Alaska was led by import Jason Forte, who produced 20 points and 18 rebounds in 44 minutes of action. Tenorio pumped in 12 points and six dimes, but it simply wasn't enough as Alaska was unable to produce a "W" in six straight outings, keeping them at the bottom, looking up with a 1-7 record.

Ginebra on the other hand, improved to 4-3, forging a deadlock for third place with the Powerade Tigers and sister team Petron Blaze Boosters. — ELR/AMD, GMA News
 
The scores:
 
GINEBRA 90 - Caguioa 22, Bozeman 15, Villanueva 12, Cortez 12, Canaleta 9, Ababou 6, Hatfield 6, Wilson W. 4, Maierhofer 2, Raymundo 2, Maliksi 0, Wilson J. 0, Mamaril 0, Helterbrand 0.
 
ALASKA 81 - Forte 20, Tenorio 12, Espinas 12, Baguio 11, Thoss 9, Baracael 7, Jazul 6, Eman 2, Gelig 2, Thiele 0, Custodio 0, Sotto 0, Cablay 0, Dela Cruz 0.
 
Quarters: 10-23, 33-46, 65-65, 90-81