Aguilar staves off North Port as Ginebra stays undefeated

Japeth Aguilar came off the bench for 23 points, including a six straight in the final minutes to quell North Port’s final rally for a 104-98 win in the elimination round of the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup on Wednesday.

The Gin Kings led from start to finish, going up by as many as 19 points before North Port went for a late run.

Four straight points from Stanley Pringle had Ginebra pressing for the timeout button with 1:49 remaining, 98-95, as Japeth Aguilar countered with his own 6-2 run to give the Gin Kings a seven-point lead with 26 seconds remaining.

Neither team would convert on a field goal in the dying seconds, as North Port was limited to just one point till the final buzzer with Sean Anthony accounting for a split.

Justin Brownlee led Ginebra with 27 points, eight boards, and eight assists but with six turnovers, while Greg Slaughter and LA Tenorio chipped in 18 apiece.

With the win, Ginebra improved to 3-0 for the top spot in the standings, while North Port sank deeper to 0-4, just ahead of Columbian (0-5).

Stanley Pringle paced North Port with 34 points, as import Rashad Woods went off for 28 with 11 boards and six assists.

Mo Tautuaa however, was the only other Batang Pier in double figures with 11, with the bench accounting for just 10 points. — BAP, GMA News