MANILA, Philippines – LA Tenorio missed only two of his 12 field goals and finished with 23 points and 5 assists as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel routed the Blackwater Elite, 107-95, in the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup on Wednesday, August 10 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Gin Kings rolled to 3 straight wins for a 4-1 record despite coming from a busy All-Star break where 4 of their players were among the starters.
“I worried about this one.This is a real danger game for us coming from a long break and we had most of our guys with the All-Stars,” head coach Tim Cone admitted. “All day today I was worried about this game.”
But Ginebra put Cone’s worries to rest by the fourth quarter, pulling away from Blackwter for the comfortable victory where they even held an 18-point lead down the stretch.
Justin Brownlee, serving as temporary replacement for the injured Paul Harris (thumb), improved his conditioning and form to scatter 27 points with 9 rebounds and 8 assists.
Cone said bringing back Harris is not something the team is discussing just yet. They likewise aren’t holding out on an early Greg Slaughter return from ankle surgery, though the hope is he gets back by the end of eliminations. Cone clarified, however, that Slaughter is not running nor training yet.
Japeth Aguilar added a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds with 3 assists and two blocks, while Joe Devance and Dave Marcelo chipped in 9 points each.
Eric Dawson led 4 Blackwater players in double figures with 26 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 assists. Carlo Lastimosa scored 21 points while Art Dela Cruz had 15 markers. JP Erram tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Elite tumbled to a 1-3 record. – Rappler.com