Ginebra keeps rolling, tops Phoenix for 4th straight win
Barangay Ginebra earned a share of the lead in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup after clobbering Phoenix Super LPG, 8671, on Wednesday night at the Angeles University Foundation Gym in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Stanley Pringle led the way for the Gin Kings with 20 points, while Prince Caperal had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Scottie Thompson added 11 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.
Ginebra improved to 4-0, joining idle TNT
Tropang Giga at the top of the league standings.
After the game, head coach Tim Cone acknowledged that TNT had given them an “assist,” as the Tropang Giga beat the Fuel Masters just last Monday, 110-91.
“Right now, Phoenix is going through a really murderous time in their schedule,” Cone noted. “They had to play TNT, which plays with tremendous pace. Then they had to turn around, a day and a half later, and play us.”
“They were tuckered out,” Cone said of the Fuel Masters. “As much as I liked our defense, I have to give TNT an assist for wearing them out for us. But we’ll take it.”
The Fuel Masters kept in step with the Gin Kings in the first half, and were down by just nine points, 47-36, at the break. They came as close as three points in the third frame, 52-49, off a Jason Perkins bucket with seven and a half to play.
But Ginebra kept in check from there, and poured it on in the fourth quarter with Pringle,
Thompson, and Caperal all finding their mark. A Japeth Aguilar layup with under three minutes left gave Ginebra its biggest lead, 86-65.
Phoenix entered the night averaging 105.67 points per game, but never got going against the Gin Kings.
Jason Perkins led the Fuel Masters with 15 points, but Matthew Wright had just 12 points after going five-of-12 from the field.
Phoenix dropped to 2-2, creating a five-way logjam in the middle of the league standings.