PBA: Played in a row without problem, as Geneva thrashes NorthPort

The concept of playing games on consecutive days is unusual in the PBA; win in those more rare circumstances.

However, Barangay Geneva seemed comfortable with the 24-hour course change.

Stanley Pringle finished with 17 points to lead 7 teammates in double-digit scoring as Geneva defeated NorthPort 112-100 in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at AUF Sports Arena in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Aljon Mariano added 15 points from the Geneva bench, raising his record to 6-2, tying TNT Tropang Giga for the top of the standings.

Coach Tim Cone and company. He showed no signs of fatigue, entering the game having played 24 hours earlier, a win over Alaska.

“We are ready tonight. I am very proud of our guys for the effort they put in tonight. They showed a lot of character playing well,” Cone said.

NorthPort jumped on Geneva to take a 23-13 lead in the first quarter, but it was a different story in the second, where Geneva outscored them 39-14 for a 57-48 halftime lead.

A 3-pointer by Renzo Subido cut the deficit to 66-65, but the Geneva baskets of Mariano and Japeth Aguilar denied NorthPort a chance to regain the lead.

After Gin was up for 19 in the fourth quarter, a Christian Standhardinger bucket put Batang Pier at 104-96 with 2:35 remaining.

But an Aguilar layup stopped NorthPort’s momentum, and coach Pido Jarencio and his team were unable to force a well-deserved save, thus preserving the victory for Geneva.

“There are many things that we have to improve to improve,” Cone said. “Offensively, we moved the ball with a lot of assists. We’re trying to open a teammate and we did very well in terms of passing.

LA Tenorio finished with 13 points and 7 assists, Mariano had 5 rebounds and 7 assists, Aguilar had 13 points and 8 rebounds, while Scottie Thompson had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists.

Standhardinger and Kevin Ferrer each had 23 points to lead NorthPort, which sank to 1-6, half a game ahead of last place, TerraFirma Dyip (0-6).