Japeth Aguilar came up with a big defensive play as Barangay Ginebra hammered out a 100-97 win over Phoenix in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
Aguilar swatted away an undergoal stab by Calvin Abueva before Aljon Mariano buried a pair of free throws with 4.6 seconds left as the Gin Kings got back on the winning track with a 4-3 win-loss record.
Phoenix had a chance to send the game into overtime but Matthew Wright's heave from way beyond the arc rimmed out as time expired.
The league-leading Fuel Masters saw their three-game winning streak come to an end as they absorbed their second defeat in 10 games.
LA Tenorio led Ginebra with 23 points on four three-pointers. He also had eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals on the night he matched Alvin Patrimonio's record of playing 596 consecutive games.
Mariano wound up with 20 points, including 10 in the final six minutes where he conspired with Tenorio. Greg Slaughter chipped in 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Jeff Chan and Aguilar fired 13 and 11 points, respectively.
It was Tenorio, Mariano, and Cruz who kept the Gin Kings' heads above the water after trailing by eight points in the final minutes of the fourth period.
Tenorio hit two consecutive triples, the last one gave them a 94-93 lead with 2:58 remaining. The two teams traded baskets after that, with Jason Perkins getting the boot after fouling Cruz inside the final minute. The former UAAP MVP hit both free throws to make it 98-97.
Phoenix was awarded possession after Aguilar tipped the ball out of bounds after a rebound play. With only 9.3 ticks to go, Wright drove through the lane and dropped the ball to Abueva who was all alone inside the paint. Aguilar came out of nowhere and met Abueva upstairs for the game-sealing block to the delight of the Ginebra faithful inside the historic venue.
"We showed great character all game long. Things weren't going for us, but we just kept at it, we kept at it, and we kept at it," said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone during the post-game interview.
Abueva paced Phoenix with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Doug Kramer had 14 points and eight boards, while RJ Jazul and Justin Chua added 13 point apiece.
THE SCORES
GINEBRA (100) - Tenorio 23, Mariano 20, Slaughter 18, Chan 13, Aguilar 11, Thompson 5, dela cruz 4, Cruz 4, Mercado 2, Caperal 0, Ferrer 0.
PHOENIX (97) - Abueva 15, Kramer 14, Jazul 13, Chua 13, Marcelo 10, Wright 10, Perkins 9, Mallari 9, Revilla 2, Mendoza 2.
Quarterscores: 18-24, 40-26, 72-76, 100-97.
EXTRA DRIBBLES
-Tenorio and Mariano combined for 20 of Ginebra's 28 points in the fourth quarter.
-Matthew Wright struggled offensively, scoring only 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field while missing all five attempts from the three-point area. But he made up for that by dishing out 10 assists.
NEXT GAMES
Ginebra - vs Magnolia on March 17 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum
Phoenix - vs San Miguel Beer on March 16 in Panabo.