Ginebra rallied in the second half to beat Magnolia, its sister team but fierce rival, 87-77 on Easter Sunday in the PBA Philippine Cup doubleheader.
Maverick Ahanmisi scored 16 points, including a tough triple with 36.3 remaining to douse a late Hotshots fightback and seal the deal for the Gin Kings, who rose to 3-1 in the standings.
“I like what our guys did. We came from that tough loss against Meralco … and they really showed that they care—about their fans, about their performance, and they came in here, and I thought they were locked in,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said after the Smart Araneta Coliseum win.
Stanley Pringle led Ginebra with 17 points, and Japeth Aguilar chipped in 16. At the same time, Jamie Malonzo and Christian Standhardinger had 11 each as the club continued to miss the services of ace playmaker Scottie Thompson.
Magnolia got the goods from Ian Sangalang, who delivered 17 points. Jio Jalalon, Mark Barroca, and Paul Lee tossed in at least 11 points each in the losing stand that had the Chito Victolero-mentored squad drop to 1-1 in the race.
The victory also gave Ginebra its 100th victory over the opposing Purefoods franchise. The latter, however, has the upper hand with 104 wins throughout their storied rivalry.
Ginebra takes on another corporate sibling in San Miguel this coming Friday. Magnolia, meanwhile, plays NLEX when the league stages its games at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate, Manila, this Saturday.
Barangay Ginebra 87 – Pringle 17, M. Ahanmisi 16, J.Aguilar 16, Malonzo 11, Standhardinger 11, Onwubere 8, Tenorio 5, Pinto 3, David 0
Magnolia 77 – Sangalang 17, Jalalon 15, Lee 12, Barroca 11, Tratter 10, Abueva 4, Mendoza 3, Corpuz 3, Laput 2, Escoto 0, Ahanmisi 0, Reavis 0, Eriobu 0.
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