MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings got their offense going in overtime as they cruised to a 100-94 win over TNT Tropang Giga in Game 1 of their 2020 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup finals at the AUF Sports Arena and Cultural Center in Pampanga last night.
Stanley Pringle and Japeth Aguilar converted a basket each to kick off the extension period as the Kings surged to a 96-92 edge. Roger Pogoy, however, cut the deficit to 94-96 for the Tropang Giga with a basket.
Aljon Mariano restored the four-point advantage for Barangay Ginebra with a two-pointer with 56 seconds to go before Aguilar sealed the triumph for the Kings with a two-handed dunk.
Aguilar finished the match with double-double 25 points and 14 rebounds while Stanley Pringle added 24 markers, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Earl Scottie Thompson tallied 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists, rookie Arvin Tolentino added career-best 14 markers while LA Tenorio had double-double 12 points and 10 assists for the Kings.
The Tropang Giga set the tone early as they went up 27-20 on a Pogoy triple, but the Kings slowly chipped into the deficit in the second period behind Tolentino, Aguilar and Pringle for a 41-all count.
In the third quarter, Ginebra took a 60-51 advantage on hits by Aguilar, Pringle and Tenorio, but TNT was quick to respond with a 71-66 lead heading into the fourth.
The Kings quickly wiped the deficit at the start of the fourth quarter via inside shots by Aguilar before the game turned into a seesaw battle with the Tropang Giga ahead 92-90. Ginebra was able to send the game into overtime on a layup by Tolentino with five seconds left.
Bobby Ray Parks Jr. finished the game with 20 points, five steals, four rebounds and four assists while Pogoy and Anthony Washington added 19 and 14 markers respectively for the Tropang Giga.
BOX SCORE:
GINEBRA 100 – J. Aguilar 25, Pringle 24, Thompson 15, Tolentino 14, Tenorio 12, Mariano 6, Chan 2, Devance 2, Caperal 0, Dillinger 0.
TNT 94 – Parks 20, Pogoy 19, Washington 14, Castro 12, Erram 10, Enciso 9, Rosario 8, Semerad 2, Montalbo 0, Reyes 0.
QUARTERSCORES:
Q1, 22-27; Q2, 41-41; Q3, 66-71; Q4, 92-92; OT, 100-94./PN
