FOR THE TWO. Barangay Ginebra's Christian Standhardinger (No. 34) forces his way inside against two Blackwater defenders in the PBA Governors' Cup at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Sunday night. Ginebra won, 119-93, to snap a two-game skid and rise to 4-2. (Courtesy of PBA Images)
MANILA – Ginebra returned to its winning ways in the PBA Governors' Cup after drubbing Blackwater, 119-93, at PhilSports Arena in Pasig on Sunday night.
The Gin Kings pulled away for good from the Bossing midway through the first quarter, going on a 28-6 run to open a 35-15 lead.
Ginebra would stretch the lead to as high as 28 points, 93-65, before settling for the 26-point final margin.
Christian Standhardinger led Ginebra with 27 points, six rebounds, five assists, and one steal.
Jamie Malonzo added 25 points on 9-for-11 field goals including 5-of-6 from long range, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Justin Brownlee made 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks.
The Gin Kings snapped a two-game slide and moved up to 4-2 before they take a break for the sixth window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers this week.
They return against the Meralco Bolts at Smart Araneta Coliseum on March 1.
"At the beginning of the game, coach [Tim Cone] told us that this game is very important to us, and he was very right with that statement. I'm happy that we came together," Standhardinger said about their stellar performance.
Shawn Glover struggled in his return game for Blackwater, now down to 1-7 with its sixth straight loss, as he was held to only 14 points on 6-of-19 shooting, although he also had 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block.
Ato Ular, Baser Amer, and Yousef Taha each added 12 points, with Ular grabbing 10 rebounds for the double-double.
The scores:
GINEBRA 119 – Standhardinger 27, Malonzo 25, Brownlee 22, Thompson 11, Gray 8, Tenorio 6, Pringle 6, Pinto 5, Pessumal 5, Mariano 2, R.Aguilar 0, David 0, Onwubere 0.
BLACKWATER 93 – Glover 14, Ular 12, Amer 12, Taha 12, Ilagan 11, McCarthy 9, DiGregorio 9, Escoto 4, Toralba 2, Banal 2 Casio 2, Sena 2, Hill 2.
Quarters: 37-20, 62-44, 96-74, 119-93 (PNA)
