Jay R. Gotera
MANILA — The Barangay Ginebra Kings patiently clawed their way from a 19-point abyss in the third quarter to squeak past the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 102-101, in a nail-biting finish of a PBA Commissioner’s Cup road game in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, Saturday night.
With his team facing yet another humiliating defeat, LA Tenorio rose to the occasion, banging in a clutch jumper off a leech-like guarding RR Garcia of Phoenix with 1.2 seconds left.
The Kings thus nailed their second straight victory and fifth overall in eight outings as they remained unbeaten on the road this season.
Their win boosted Ginebra to solo third spot in the team standings behind Alaska (5-2) and the pace-setting Meralco (6-2).
The Fuel Masters suffered a second straight setback and fifth overall in seven games to slid into second-to-last place in the standings.
Tenorio finished with 17 points, nine assists, six boards, and two steals in 32 minutes.
Greg Slaughter led the Kings with 28 points and 13 boards, while import Othyus Jeffers posted 24 markers and 14 boards.
Import Kevinn Pinkney paced Phoenix with 24 points and 14 rebounds. He scored four straight points in the endgame, giving the Fuel Masters a 101-96 lead.
Ginebra’s Joe Devance countered with a three-pointer. He then grabbed an offensive rebound off missed charity by Jeffers with nine seconds remaining, setting the stage for Tenorio’s heroics.
The Fuel Masters started the match with a flurry of long-range shots. Garcia scored 12 big points in the first quarter alone, which Phoenix took, 31-17.
Phoenix stayed hot in the second quarter, erecting a whopping 17-point edge, 56-39, at halftime.
After the Fuel Masters padded their lead to 19, the Kings finally woke up and unleashed a 25-10 run to get back into the game.
After a Tenorio three-pointer that tied the game at 80-all, Slaughter scored with 7:21 left, giving Ginebra an 84-82 edge — its first taste of the lead since Tenorio made the first basket of the game, 2-0.
But the Fuel Masters countered with a run of their own as they erected a 97-90 advantage.
The Kings responded with a 6-0 to cut the Fuel Masters’ lead to just a point.
Pinkney sank two free throws and, after a defensive stop, whipped an assist pass to Garcia who scored, giving Phoenix a 101-96 lead with less than a minute left in the game.
Devance revived Ginebra’s flagging hopes with a clutch three-pointer. Jeffers then went to the line for a pair of free throws. He sank the first but missed the second.
Devance managed to grab the offensive board and pass the ball to Tenorio who then scored the winning basket.
Games Monday: Alaska Aces vs. Mahindra Enforcers and Tropang TNT vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
