THE Barangay Ginebra Kings upped their level of play in the second half to come away with a 106-82 win over the Terrafirma Dyip in the PBA Season 47 Philippine Cup on Wednesday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings had a tough time shaking off the Dyip, which led by eight in the third. However, veterans LA Tenorio and Christian Standhardinger suddenly came alive to propel Ginebra to an 82-72 lead heading to the final canto.
It was all Ginebra from that point onwards as the lead ballooned to a high of 26. At 6-1, the Kings now share the lead in the standings alongside San Miguel.
Acting head coach Richard Del Rosario shared how glad he was to see his team rise to the occasion under immense pressure from the upstart Dyip squad. Overall, Ginebra outscored Terrafirma, 58-32, in the second half.
“Our character showed in the second half. First half, we played out of character. We were getting outhustled and yun talaga problema namin even in our last game against Converge,” said Del Rosario, who is in the head coaching seat in lieu of Tim Cone, who is in the United States as part of the coaching staff of the Miami Heat’s Summer League squad.
Japeth Aguilar was a picture of steadiness and brilliance all game long as he tallied 22 points, six rebounds, three assists, and seven blocks.
Aguilar’s frontcourt partner—Standhardinger produced 18 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists while Arvie Tolentino pumped in 13. Tenorio, meanwhile, had 12 markers and six assists.
Terrafirma has now lost seven in a row and remains the only winless team in the tournament.
Juami Tiongson had 24 points, six boards, and four assists, while Andrea Cahilig and Joseph Gabayni had 14 apiece.