Abarrientos sizzles in Ginebra’s bounce back game
After an embarrassing 49-point beating from SMB, Barangay Ginebra bounced back big through a boost by RJ Abarrientos to deliver a 112-96 victory against Phoenix on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Abarrientos produced a career-high 24 points highlighted by a four-pointer and three triples, together with five rebounds and five assists to lead the Gin Kings in clinching a quarterfinals berth.
Japeth Aguilar joined the fray by firing 21 points, while Scottie Thompson added 20. Justin Brownlee and Maverick Ahanmisi contributed 13 and 12, respectively to balance the scoring for the crowd-favorite team.
Ginebra now has a 6-3 win-loss record, half-game behind the joint leader San Miguel and Rain or Shine which both 6-2 slates.
"We really started doing our thing and got control of the game early and kept it the whole way," said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone. "There were moments that weren't pretty, but for the most part, we played a solid game tonight."
On the Phoenix side, Jason Perkins and Sean Manganti paced the Fuel Masters with 18 markers, while import Brandone Francis added 17 and rookie Kai Ballungay produced 16.
The Scores:
GINEBRA 112 - Abarrientos 24, J.Aguilar 21, Thompson 20, Brownlee 13, Ahanmisi 12, Holt 9, R.Aguilar 4, Mariano 3, Pessumal 3, Adamos 2, Garcia 1, Tenorio 0, Pinto 0.
PHOENIX 96 - Perkins 18, Manganti 18, Francis 17, Ballungay 16, Tuffin 9, Tio 6, Verano 4, Muyang 3, Soyud 3, Salado 2, Alejandro 0, Rivero 0, Ular 0, Jazul 0, Daves 0, Garcia 0.
QUARTERS: 36-24, 61-45, 90-75, 112-96.
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