Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Star Hotshots are one game away from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Finals.
The Hotshots weathered a late Barangay Ginebra rally to seal a 89-80 victory in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series on Friday evening at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Veteran Rafi Reavis came up big with 17 points for Star, while Mark Barroca chipped in with 12.
In a tightly contested first half, the Hotshots nursed a 49-45 lead over the Gin Kings going into the halftime break.
But it was after the break that the Hotshots finally clicked into gear.
A 10-0 run in the third frame saw Star break open a 63-50 advantage, which grew to a 71-55 cushion before the payoff period.
The third quarter turned out the be disastrous for the Gin Kings, who were outscored 22-10 in that frame alone.
Ginebra would not go down quietly though, relying on the old magic of Mark Caguioa and JayJay Helterbrand, they reduced the deficit to 87-80 with 2:14 left to play.
Unfortunately for the Gin Kings, they could not find the bottom of the net for the remainder of the game as the Hotshots took the lead in the series.
Japeth Aguilar paced Ginebra with 13 markers.
Before the game Star head coach Chito Victolero said that focus would play a big part in whether or not his team would win the game, and he believed that was indeed the difference maker.
The Hotshots could end the series in Game 6 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
