Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) – The Manila Clasico is going to Game 7.
Barangay Ginebra kept themselves in contention in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup after dismantling the Star Hotshots, 91-67, in Game 6 of their best-of-seven semifinal affair on Sunday evening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Sol Mercado paced Ginebra with 21 markers, while LA Tenorio swished in 19 of his own.
It looked like it was going to be a long night for the Gin Kings if you were looking at how the opening frame started out.
The Hotshots outgunned Ginebra to build up a sizable 20-9 lead at the 4:21 mark of the first quarter.
But after three timeouts from venerated Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, the Gin Kings finally got off the mark.
Ginebra immediately went on a 19-0 run that would extend into the second frame, to grab the advantage at 30-24.
Star regained its footing soon afterwards, unleashing a 13-0 rally of their own to steal the lead, 37-33, on the way to nursing a slim 39-38 edge at halftime.
The two teams continued to lock horns in the third period, but it was Ginebra who found their groove before the payoff period.
The Gin Kings utilized a 10-2 run to take a 62-54 cushion into the final quarter.
The last 12 minutes proved to be decisive for Ginebra, as they dominated the quarter by outscoring Star
Marc Pingris led Star with 14 markers, while Mark Barroca chipped in with 13.
After the game, Cone pointed out what he felt were the key moments for the Gin Kings.
“I thought we were going to be blown out by 40 after the first five minutes,” Cone said. “They showed resolve, got back into it.”
“Then falling behind a little bit at half time, and Joe coming out and inspiring us in the third quarter,” Cone added. “I think those were the stories that really keyed us to this win.”
The deciding game will be played on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
