Gin Kings overwhelm TNT; NLEX escapes Alaska

LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar, and Greg Slaughter combined for 72 points as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel leaned on a late rally to defeat the TNT KaTropa at the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.

Tenorio tallied 27 big points on a high 57 percent clip, while dishing 11 assists with five rebounds.

The twin towers were also productive, as Japeth Aguilar scored 25, while Greg Slaughter registered a double-double with 20 points and 14 boards.

Only three other players scored for the Gin Kings, led by Scottie Thompson who had nine points and 11 board with four assists. Kevin Ferrer and Jervy Cruz tallied six points each.

Up by just one heading into the final frame, 63-62, the Gin Kings uncorked a 30-16 run in the final 12 minutes of the game to overwhelm TNT.

It was equally a balanced-scoring night for TNT, as four of its starters scored in double figures. Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams had 17 points each, with the latter recording 15 boards.

RR Pogoy chipped in 16, while Mo Tautuaa added 10 markers. RR Garcia led the bench with eight points off a paltry 3 of 12 clip, for a KaTropa bench that outscored its counterparts, 16-6.

With the win, Ginebra tied NLEX in the middle of the standings at 5-4, with San Miguel (6-2), Magnolia (6-3), Alaska (6-3), and Rain or Shine (5-3) still ahead.

TNT, meanwhile, slid to 4-5 just ahead of GlobalPort (3-4), Blackwater (3-5), Meralco (2-6), and Kia (1-7).

NLEX prevents collapse, escapes Alaska

In the other Sunday game, the NLEX Road Warriors built a big enough buffer in the first half to defeat the Alaska Aces, 96-89.

The Road Warriors led by as many as 30 points. They edged the Aces 29-18 in the opening period before pouring on 23 in the second while limiting Alaska to just 14 markers.

Raul Soyud, Kevin Alas, and Larry Fonacier all had 15 points for NLEX, while JR Quinahan and Kiefer Ravena tallied 12 points each. The latter also added 10 assists and six rebounds in less than thirty minutes on the floor.

NLEX led by 13 with 4:06 to go in the payoff period, but the Aces chipped away at the lead to trim it to just four with 51 seconds to go.

A Carl Bryan Cruz steal led to another Alaska basket that cut the lead to just two with 15 seconds remaining, as Kevin Alas split at the other end to make it a three-point game, 92-89.

Off a timeout, Alaska set tried to set up to send the game to extra time, but Kevin Racal committed a turnover that led to two Kiefer Ravena free throws to put the game away.

Jeron Teng, Vic Manuel, and Jayvee Casio led Alaska with 12 points apiece, while Carl Bryan Cruz, Calvin Abueva, and Simon Enciso added 10 each. — DVM, GMA News