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PBA: Second-half surge lifts Barangay Ginebra to opening day win
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LA Tenorio (R) quarterbacked Barangay Ginebra to a Manila Clasico win. KC Cruz
(Updated 5:25pm) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel got a big boost from their bench in the second half, to lift them to an opening day victory over 2013 Governors' Cup champions San Mig Coffee Mixers, 86-69, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It was a tale of two halves as the Mixers exhibited disciplined play on both ends of the court en route to a 42-34 halftime lead, but Ginebra turned up the heat in the second half with better playmaking and effort on the defensive end, allowing them to outscore the Mixers 56-27 in the last 24 minutes.
"In the first half, na-outhustle kami. Hindi game namin yun eh. I reminded them na kailangang mag-hustle sila and also mag-focus. Nag-work naman yung adjustments namin," said Ginebra head coach Ato Agustin. "I told them na wag madali. We had a lot of forced shots, committed a lot of turnovers and weren't sprinting back on defense. Nung second half we were able to dictate the tempo."
Japeth Aguilar led five Ginebra players with 18 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. LA Tenorio offered 17 points and 10 assists, while Dylan Ababou had 16 points in his first game back from an ACL injury last November. Greg Slaughter and Jay-R Reyes posted 10 points each and 13 and nine rebounds, respectively.
For Ababou, the game was a fitting return after his ACL injury sidelined for nearly a year, incidentally also while playing against the Mixers. He came off the bench in the second half and provided solid three-point shooting, making half of his six attempts from distance. "Sobrang saya para sa akin yung confidence ng team at ng management. Nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord sa mga nangyari at natulungan ko yung team," he said.
San Mig Coffee started the game by scoring eight of their first 15 points underneath the hoop. On the other end, Ginebra's front line of Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar found room to create despite their imperfect floor spacing, trailing 15-10.
The Mixers then decided to field rookies Ian Sangalang and Justin Melton in the final three minutes and allow them to create. Ginebra capitalized and used the time to catch up, as Aguilar's aggressiveness beneath the rim helped them to gain ground. The Gilas center scored seven of Ginebra's last 10 points to trim the lead, 21-20, at the end of the first quarter.
Ginebra's lack of offense was more glaring in the second quarter, as exposed by San Mig Coffee's second unit. Led by Sangalang, four Mixers reserves contributed to a 13-2 run, 34-22.
Halfway through the quarter, Ginebra got their first basket of the frame on a Slaughter tip-in. Their main unit continued to apply pressure on the inside. With Chris Ellis and Aguilar rolling to the hoop, Ginebra uncorked a 12-2 run and trailed 36-34 with two minutes to play. However, the Mixers recovered in time and went 6-0 in the last two minutes, highlighted by an opportune turnover layup by Mark Barocca, to take a 42-34 lead heading into the halftime break.
Ginebra shot 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) from the field but made up for it at the line with a 15-of-19 (78.9 percent) mark. Meanwhile, the Mixers shot 19-of-44 (43.2 percent) from the field, took just five charities, and made four. San Mig Coffee also led 11-4 on fast break points.
Dylan Ababou's (C) fiery second half sparked Ginebra out of their stupor. KC Cruz
Barroca scored a couple of breakaway hoops early in the third to help extend the lead to double digits, 48-36. But the Mixers struggled when Ginebra took better care of the ball and put the clamps on their transition game. With Tenorio distributing the ball and probing the lane, plus the support of Ababou, Ginebra capitalized on consecutive defensive stops to build a 21-8 blitz.
With two minutes to play, Raffi Reavis and Jay-R Reyes exchanged words after a hard foul by the latter, and both received technical fouls. The pair traded baskets to close out the quarter, and the Mixers found themselves trailing, 58-55.
Val Acuna practicaly carryed his team's offense early on, as San Mig Coffee's scoring woes carried over in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Slaughter and Ababou took turns torching the defense to kick off a 23-10 stretch. With the ball zipping from side to side and Ginebra able to penetrate, the Barangay erected an 81-65 advantage with four minutes left, effectively wrapping up the affair.
Ginebra posted a 28-of-69 (40.6 percent) shooting clip throughout the game, while San Mig Coffee slumped to 30-of-76 (39.5 percent). Ginebra also managed to shoot 33 free throws, making 24 (72.7 percent) while the Mixers settled for 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) on charities for the entire game.
The Mixers led in fast break points, 18-8, while Ginebra led in turnover points (25-13) and rebounds (51-43).
The scores:
Ginebra 86 – Aguilar 18, Tenorio 17, Ababou 16, Slaughter 10, Reyes 10, Ellis 7, Helterbrand 5, Caguioa 2 Monfort 1, Baracael 0, Urbiztondo 0, Forrester 0, Faundo 0
San Mig Coffee 69 – Barroca 14, Acuna 11, SAnggalang 8, Yap 8, Pingris 7, Reavis 7, Melton 5, De Ocampo 4, Mallari 4, Holstein 1, Cawaling 0
Quarter scoring: 20-21, 34-42, 58-55, 86-69
