PBA: Ginebra claims last twice-to-beat, fends off Rain or Shine
Barangay Ginebra guard Stephen Holt during a game against Rain or Shine in the PBA Philippine Cup.–PBA IMAGES
ANTIPOLO—Barangay Ginebra secured the last twice-to-beat advantage in the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals after weathering the stubborn challenge of Rain or Shine, 98-80, as the eliminations drew to a close Sunday at Ynares Center here.
Stephen Holt fired 27 points spiked by six triples as the Gin Kings bucked losing an 18-point lead and even trailing by a slim margin in the third to eventually regain control of the contest that led to an 8-3 record to end the initial phase of the all-Filipino tournament.
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That put Ginebra in a four-way tie with San Miguel Beer, NLEX and Magnolia, but took the fourth seed by virtue of having an inferior quotient based on the tiebreaker.
Ginebra will take on No. 5 Converge in the quarterfinals on Friday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, needing just one win to make the semis.
Rain or Shine, meanwhile, ended up at 6-5 for a three-way share of sixth to eighth with TNT and defending champion Meralco.
The Elasto Painters will be No. 7 based on the tiebreaker and need to beat the second-seeded NLEX Road Warriors twice in their own quarters matchup.
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Adrian Nocum and Santi Santillan scored 13 points apiece for the Elasto Painters, who even took a 63-61 lead in the third.
But Holt dropped 11 in that same period, and with help from Japeth Aguilar, Ginebra was able to restore order in its favor.
Aguilar tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Gin Kings.
