PBA: Ginebra refuses to die, forces Game 7 against San Mig

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel was relentless in the endgame, converting on key baskets while pulling off defensive stops to win Game 6 of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series against the San Mig Coffee Mixers, 94-91, to force a do-or-die Game 7.

Mark Caguioa nailed two free throws with 16 seconds remaining to give Ginebra a one-point lead- an advantage they held on to till the final buzzer.

"Nagdasal ako. I passed by Padre Pio. Yun lang yung naging lakas ng loob ko to get back," said an emotional LA Tenorio after the game. "Di ko inisip sarili ko na makabawi ako; inisip ko yung team.

"I want to thank my teammates, yung coaching staff, pinataas nila yung morale ko. Sabi nga ni Senator [Robert] Jaworski, wag namin sayangin yung suporta ng taong bayan."

Mark Caguioa led Ginebra with 21 markers, while top rookie Greg Slaughter posted a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. LA Tenorio scattered 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal, while Japeth Aguilar came off the bench to provide 13 points and two rejections.

[Related: Stars align for Ginebra in game six]

In the final two minutes, it was PJ Simon who heeded the call for the Mixers, stringing five straight to give his team a three-point edge, 91-88. Ginebra then went to Greg Slaughter in the paint for two, but the big man missed the extra free throw off an and-one play. The Barangay expressed a big sigh of the relief though, as they secured the offensive board with 46.5 seconds remaining. Caguioa missed the potential go-ahead trey, but Mark Barroca failed to connect from deep as well. James Yap then sent Caguioa to the line, where the former MVP made both for a one-point lead, 92-91.

San Mig Coffee opted to rely on the hot hands in the final frame, going back to Simon, but he missed his floater. Slaughter was fouled soon after and the big man hit two pressure-packed charities to make it a three-point lead. The Mixers had a chance to force overtime with two seconds remaining, but Yap missed on the catch and shoot.

Neither team has won two games in a row in their series, giving SMC a psychological advantage heading into game seven, where the winner advances to face idle Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, who wrapped up their set against the Petron Blaze Boosters in five games.

Both teams found their way inside in the opening period, before Mark Caguioa canceled out a James Yap trey with back-to-back hits put Ginebra up, 11-9. The Mixers quickly countered inside and out, as twin triples from Joe Devance and Mark Barroca put San Mig Coffee ahead, 22-15, with less than three minutes left in the game.

The late Ginebra surge came before the quarter ended though, as Mac Baracael and Japeth Aguilar found their range for a 7-2 swing, 24-22.

It was a battle of the bigs at the start of the second, as Slaughter and Aguilar matched up against Marc Pingris and Ian Sangalang in the paint, 32-26, still for the Mixers. Five from Barroca, plus a Justin Melton long bomb erected a 12-point lead for San Mig Coffee, as Slaughter and Mark Caguioa tried to keep Ginebra alive. The SMC turbo duo in Barroca and Melton completed easy layups off steals, before Greg Slaughter finished off a dunk, 46-34. LA Tenorio starred for Ginebra in the final minutes, trimming the lead to single digits at the half, 50-41.


Mark Barroca led San Mig with 10 points and four assists at the half. Ian Sangalang and PJ Simon had eight each. Except for Yancy De Ocampo and Alex Mallari, all players fielded by coach Tim Cone scored after two quarters.

The Mixers shot a deadly 47 percent from the field after 24 minutes to best Ginebra's 42 percent clip. Greg Slaughter also had 10 markers for the Gin Kings, while LA Tenorio chipped in eight.

Aguilar and Caguioa came out of the break with renewed energy, cutting the lead to four, 52-48, to the delight of the Barangay faithful. Ginebra's interior defense was left abused at the other end though, as Rafi Reavis and Pingris created some separation, 62-54.

Barroca tried to match Caguioa and Aguilar point-for-point, but SMC's star point guard couldn't handle Tenorio's own five-point spurt. Another trey, this time from Jayjay Helterbrand, cut the Ginebra deficit to two, 70-68, as Simon and Pingris tried to stave off the BGSM offensive. Tenorio ended the period with a booming triple though, making it a one-point game with a quarter remaining.

Ginebra finally got a taste of the lead after two quarters, as Mark Caguioa drilled a jumper, 75-74. Sangalang and Mallari were there to counter quickly, before Marc Pingris powered his way inside, 82-77. But at the other end, Ginebra just refused to die, as Chris Ellis sank two charities, while Jay-R Reyes converted on a put-back to trim the lead to one, 84-83, with five and a half minutes remaining.

The Barangay soon gave Barroca a dose of his own medicine, as Helterbrand pushed the ball on the break for an 87-86 advantage with less than four minutes remaining. Ellis completed another defensive stop, this time on Yap, as Slaughter split his charities for a two-point lead.

The Mixers were unable to capitalize on a monster outing for Marc Pingris, as the "Pinoy Sakuragi" logged 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and block. PJ Simon splashed 17 on 50 percent shooting, while Mark Barroca had another well-rounded outing with 14 points, five assists and a steal.

James Yap was limited to nine points on 3-of-10 shooting.

Three-point shooting was a key factor, was Ginebra made 7-of-18 triples, compared to 4-of-16 by San Mig Coffee. The Barangay also got more free throw attempts and converted a better clip, going 19-of-25 versus 11-of-19. The Mixers however ruled the three hustle points categories, and also led in assists, 20-16.  - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Ginebra 94 - Caguioa 21, Slaughter 20, Tenorio 16, Aguilar 13, Baracael 9, Helterbrand 5, Ellis 4, Reyes 4, Mamaril 2, Monfort 0, Urbiztondo 0

San Mig Coffee 91 - Pingris 20, Simon 17, Barroca 14, Sangalang 12, Reavis 9, Yap 9, Melton 5, Devance 3, Mallari 2, De Ocampo 0

Quarter scoring: 22-24, 41-50, 73-74, 94-91