PBA: Ginebra pulls away late in crucial win vs. NorthPort

Import Tony Bishop and locals Japeth Aguilar and Maverick Ahanmisi joined forces in the endgame as Barangay Ginebra pulled away late against NorthPort, 103-93, in the PBA Commissioner's Cup on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Crucial was the win for the Gin Kings as it allowed them to force a two-way tie with San Miguel at the fourth spot with identical 7-3 cards, improving their twice-to-beat chances with one game left in the elimination round. 

The Batang Pier, meanwhile, closed out its regular season with a 6-5 card ahead of the quarterfinals. 

NorthPort rallied multiple times against the streaking Ginebra and even took the lead in the third period when Arvin Tolentino knocked down a triple for a 69-67 cushion. The Gin Kings, however, unleashed a 10-3 closing run to head to the fourth quarter carrying a 77-72 advantage.

Tolentino could not be stopped from the field, but a huge and pivotal 12-0 rampage courtesy of the troika of Aguilar, Bishop, and Ahanmisi saw the Tim Cone-helmed squad erect a 96-79 upper hand in the final four minutes. 

Bishop was in his element, putting together an all-around performance with 26 points, 16 rebounds, five steals,two blocks, and two assists, while Aguilar finished with 15 markers off the bench alongside four boards and four dimes. 

Both Jamie Malonzo and Christian Standhardinger chipped in 16 points, while Ahanmisi poured in 13 markers, six assists, and five boards. 

Tolentino shot four three-pointers to finish with 27 points on top of six rebounds, four steals, and one assist while import Venky Jois poured in a double-double effort of 21 markers and 17 boards together with four assists.

Ginebra will close out the elimination round on Saturday when it takes on NLEX. 

Scores:

Ginebra 103 – Bishop 26, Malonzo 16, Standhardinger 16, J.Aguilar 15, Ahanmisi 13, Pringle 10, Thompson 7, Tenorio 0, Pinto 0, Onwubere 0, Cu 0, Gumaru 0.

NorthPort 93 – Tolentino 27, Jois 21, Zamar 11, Calma 10, Yu 8, Munzon 6, Chan 5, Paraiso 5, Flores 0, Rosales 0, Amores 0, Adamos 0.

Quarters: 24-26, 50-50, 77-72, 103-93.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News