Ginebra San Miguel trounce Rain or Shine

Jose Maria Santos 01:19 23/05/2015
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  • Mark Caguioa of Ginebra was on red-hot form with 21 points.

    Visiting Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, the most popular team in the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association), did not disappoint their Filipino fans in Dubai after they trounced Rain or Shine Elasto Painters 93-81 in front of a sell out crowd at Al Shabab Sports Cub last night.

    – VIDEO: Reaction after Rain or Shine's PBA victory over Global Port

    Three Ginebra players gave double-double performances led by American import Orlando Johnson with 25 points and 10 rebounds while point guard LA Tenorio added 20 points, including four triples, to his 11 rebounds and forward Japeth Aguilar, who just came from an injury, finished with 15 markers, 11 boards and two blocks.

    Ginebra got their groove early in the game, thanks to the spark provided by Mark Caguioa, who made 16 of his 21 points in the first quarter to put his team ahead by 14, 28-14.

    Tenorio started the second quarter with a triple and he initiated another Ginebra rally which gave them their biggest lead at 20, 39-19, before Rain or Shine import Wendel McKines, who top-scored with 35 points, helped his team claw back steadily, cutting the deficit to just seven points, 49-42, at the half.

    Rain or Shine carried their momentum at the start of third quarter and took the driver’s seat, 55-54, after a 13-5 run punctuated by McKines basket. But Ginebra retaliated with a 17-10 spurt to regain the lead and they were back on top, 71-65, going into the final frame.

    Ginebra played with a renewed focus and did not allow Rain or Shine to stage another rally in the fourth quarter as they established an unassailable 18-point advantage, 93-75, after Tenorio made a running shot with only a minute and 47 seconds left in the game.

    Sol Mercado of Ginebra guarded by Jonathan Uyloan of Rain or Shine.

    “It was a good game for us because the last game we played in Manila we lost to Blackwater Elite, which is the weakest team in the tournament,” Ginebra coach Frankie Lim told Sport3600. “The inclusion of Aguilar (who just came from an injury) helped us and we made good runs especially in the early second period and the final quarter.”

    Ginebra now improved their record to two wins with three loses while Rain or Shine, who finished second place in the last PBA Conference, dropped their third game in four matches.

    Rain or Shine played back to back games in Dubai. On Thursday, they chalked up their first win in the Governor’s Cup after they dominated GlobalPort Batang Pier 119-112.

    Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao said: “We don’t want to post the back-to-back matches as an excuse. It’s just that we did not commit with our defence and we did not make stops.  They (Ginebra) got into good rhythm early in the game and we played catch up most of the time.”

    “Offensively we were out of sync. We only had five assists the whole match and we usually average 22 per game.  That (lack of assists) made it difficult for us to distribute and get our offence going. But we’re not out of contention yet; we just need to string few more wins – at least 3-4 straight wins – and we’re back in the running,” added Guiao.

     LA Tenorio orchestrates the play for Ginebra

    Scorers

    Barangay Ginebra 93 – Orlando Johnson 25; Mark Caguioa 21; LA Tenorio 20; Japeth Aguilar 15; Dave Marcelo 5; Mac Baracael 5; Rodney Brondial 2

    Rain or Shine 81 – Wendell McKines 35; Paul Lee 10; Jericho Cruz 9; Ryan Araña 9; Gabe Norwood 5; Jervy Cruz 4; Jonathan Uyloan 2; Jireh Ibañes 2; Tyrone Tang 2; Raymond Almazan 2; JR Quiñahan 1

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