By JAY R. GOTERA
MANILA — In a clash between two teams on a winning run, the Barangay Ginebra Kings proved to be the deadlier one, blasting the TNT KaTropa Texters, 107-89, in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Sunday night.
Ginebra thus climbed to third place in the standings, behind San Miguel Beer (5-0) and Meralco (6-1), as the Kings extended their win streak to four after opening the conference with a loss.
The defeat snapped TNT’s five-game winning streak as the Texters fell into a tie with the Star Hotshots for fourth to fifth place, both with a 5-2 card.
Justin Brownlee led Ginebra with 34 points, eight of them coming in the fourth quarter when the Kings turned the game into a rout. The versatile import added 15 boards, six assists, two blocks, and one steal in 40 minutes.
LA Tenorio led Ginebra’s locals with 21 markers, including five three-pointers. He fired 14 of his points in the payoff period when the Kings extended their lead to 22 points, 104-82, with two minutes left.
Japeth Aguilar also played a major role in the Ginebra victory, finishing with a double-double 16 points and 14 rebounds on top of five blocks in 35 minutes.
Import Donte Greene paced TNT with 28 points along with 15 boards. Jayson Castro was the only other local scorer for the Texters with 20 markers.
GlobalPort 105, Mahindra 86
The GlobalPort Batang Pier showed their vast array of firepower even minus star player Terrence Romeo, drubbing the Mahindra Floodbuster, 105-86, to keep their playoff hopes alive.
It was only GlobalPort’s second win in seven games, but it placed the Batang Pier just one full game behind Phoenix for the eighth and last quarterfinals slot.
Mahindra moved closer to elimination after absorbing its fifth straight loss and seventh overall in eight games.
Although Romeo suited up, GlobalPort coach Franz Pumaren kept him on the bench throughout the game as he was nursing a bum stomach.
But GlobalPort hardly missed the absence of the league’s top local scorer as six Batang Pier finished in double digits, led by Romeo’s backcourt partner Stanley Pringle who scored 24 points on top of five assists, three boards, and one block.
Import Malcolm White added 16 points, 17 boards, two assists, and one steal.
Rookie Von Pessumal chipped in 14 points, including four three-pointers. He drilled nine of his points in GlobalPort’s fourth quarter rampage where they led by as many as 31 points.
Mike Cortez started in place of Romeo and tallied 12 points, four boards, two assists, and one block.
JR Quinahan and Aaron Aban added 11 and 10 markers, respectively.
Pumaren sprang a surprise as he fielded James Forrester as a starter. He did not disappoint, contributing seven points, including two highlight-reel dunks, along with four rebounds with no turnover in 24 minutes.
Import Keith Wright led Mahindra with 23 points and nine boards in 40 minutes. Rookies Reden Celda and Philip Paniamogan were the team’s only other double-digit scorers, with 18 and 14 markers, respectively.
Game Wednesday: PBA Mindanao All-Stars vs. Gilas Pilipinas.
