[ad_1]
A rested Barangay Geneva squad took Game 1 of their 2020 PBA Philippine Cup semi-final series against Meralco with an easy 96-79 win on Wednesday at the Angeles University Foundation Cultural Center and Sports Stadium. .
Six players scored in double figures for the Gin Kings, who led by as many as 25 against the Bolts in the first game of the best-of-five series.
Stanley Pringle led Geneva with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go with seven rebounds, while Scottie Thompson flirted with a triple-double and finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight dimes.
Rookie Arvin Tolentino had 13 in one start, Aljon Mariano and LA Tenorio added 10, and Prince Caperal threw 10 off the bench for the Gin Kings.
Geneva had the benefit of resting for four days before Game 1 against Meralco, who had come the distance against San Miguel, twice to win, before sending off the five-time defending champions in the first round.
“That was a huge boost for us,” head coach Tim Cone said of the four-day break. “In the meantime, we were able to rest and we were able to practice. Obviously it was an advantage for us and I’m glad our guys took advantage of it and came out and played a good game.”
It was a close game past the mid-second-quarter mark before Geneva froze a Bolts team that couldn’t find balance once their counterparts pulled away.
Up five, Geneva turned to defense, holding Meralco scoreless in the final 3:56 of the first half and uncorking a 7-0 flurry to enter the break with a 12-point lead, 48-36. The Gin Kings shot 60 percent from the field and outscored the Bolts 27-19 during that span.
In the third quarter, Geneva continued to pressure Meralco and extended the lead to 17.56-39 in the first four minutes as the Bolts continued to struggle on offense.
Allein Maliksi, who was one of the few bright spots for the Bolts, tried to inject some life and scored 11 of the first 14 points of the third period for Meralco. That included a 3-pointer that cut the lead to 10, 60-50.
Guinevere, however, was too poised and composed, beating the Bolts 11-4 to finish the fourth and cross the rest of the way.
Overall, the Gin Kings shot a healthy 48.1 percent from the field and dropped 10 of 27 3s for 37 percent. Geneva also dominated painting; half of his points (50 on 56.8 percent shooting) came within the restricted area.
“For me, it was a great team game. Stanley played very well, he deserved [the] Player of the game (award), but there were many contributions out there. We did a lot better offensively than I thought we would do against his defense, “Cone said.
The Gin Kings are now turning their attention to avoiding disappointment in Game 2, where they expect Meralco to fight back and try to even the series at one apiece.
“Meralco is a team with a mission, and we interrupted that for a day, but hopefully we can continue interrupting it,” he said. “We played a really great game tonight. We’re not that good and they’re not that bad. So we’ll see a much better Game 2 that’s for sure.
“So as important as it was to get Game 1, right now we have to forget about it and prepare for Game 2. Just play what’s in front of us. We have to worry about what’s in front of us, not what’s in there. behind. So Game 2 is in front of us, that will be our focus. “
Maliksi scored 24 points and made 5 of 6 3s in 28 minutes off the bench for Meralco, who hardly looked like the same team that ended the San Miguel dynasty at the All-Filipino conference three nights ago.
Chris Newsome was the only player, other than Maliksi, to score in double digits with 13.
THE SCORES
Geneva 96 – Pringle 19, Thompson 13, Tolentino 13, Tenorio 11, Mariano 11, Caperal 10, Aguilar 9, Dillinger 4, Dela Cruz 2, Devance 2, Balanza 2, Salado 0, Chan 0.
Meralco 79 – Maliksi 24, Newsome 13, Hugnatan 9, Black 8, Pinto 6, Hodge 4, Jamito 4, Almazan 3, Faundo 2, Salva 2, Amer 2, Quinto 2, Jackson 0, Caram 0.
Trimesters: 21-17, 48-36, 71-54, 96-79.
ADDITIONAL JARS
– Geneva beat Meralco on the glass, 53-36, and scored 15 second-chance points.
– Meralco made only 39.7 percent of his shots against Geneva.
NEXT GAME
Game 2 on Friday, November 20 at 3:45 pm
