Ginebra downs TNT as Tenorio outduels Castro

In a battle of two of the best point guards in the league, LA Tenorio outplayed Jayson Castro and guided Barangay Ginebra to a crucial 93-78 victory over TNT KaTropa on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Tenorio was superb, scoring 27 points and dishing out 11 assists while committing only one turnover in over 38 minutes of action. He anchored the Gin Kings' breakaway in the fourth frame, and they eventually booked their fifth win against four losses.

Meanwhile, TNT lost for the second straight game and dropped to 4-5 in the 2017-18 PBA Philippine Cup.

"We said before the game that it was a huge game, so now that we've won it, it's a huge win," said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

"We were playing okay in the first half, but we knew it wasn't going to be enough to win the game. So we elevated our play in the second half," he explained. "The guys focused in the second half, a couple of balls went our way, and before we knew it, we had a double-digit lead."

Greg Slaughter (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Japeth Aguilar (25 points) dominated the paint for Ginebra, and they had a 56-43 rebounding edge against a TNT team that was playing sans the injured Troy Rosario.

The Gin Kings were unable to take control of the game until the final quarter, when Kevin Ferrer and Greg Slaughter conspired in a crucial 8-0 blast that turned a slim 65-67 deficit into a more comfortable 73-67 lead with still 8:22 to go.

Ferrer knocked down two three-pointers in the run, while Slaughter muscled his way inside for a bucket. The KaTropa got to within four, 71-75, with 7:15 left off a Kelly Williams bucket, but Tenorio responded with two straight jumpers, and it was all Ginebra from there.

A difficult lay-up by Tenorio, which saw him squeeze his way through the TNT frontline before flicking up the shot, gave the Gin Kings their first double-digit spread, 84-73. They led by as much as 16 points, 91-75, late in the game after Scottie Thompson knocked down a three-pointer.

"LA was awesome all night long," Cone observed. "And Japeth was making brilliant passes to Greg. We love seeing those guys play together."

Castro had 17 points for TNT, but made only six of 20 shots and committed four turnovers. Williams also finished with 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. The KaTropa were held to 39% shooting by the Gin Kings.

With the victory, Ginebra is now tied with NLEX for a share of fifth place.

The scores:

GINEBRA 93 — Tenorio 27, J. Aguilar 25, Slaughter 20, Thompson 9, Cruz 6, Ferrer 6, R. Aguilar 0, Caguioa 0, Caperal 0, Mercado 0, Taha 0.
TNT 78 — Castro 17, Williams 17, Pogoy 16, Tautuaa 10, Garcia 8, Paredes 2, Reyes 2, Semerad 2, Tamsi 2, Torres 2, Carey 0, Golla 0.

Quarter scores: 22-18, 44-42, 63-62, 93-78.

SOURCE: http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/11/18/pba-ginebra-downs-tnt-as-tenorio-outduels-castro