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Barangay Ginebra San Miguel completed a spirited comeback to go up 2-0 in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup final, defeating TNT Tropang Giga, 92-90, on Wednesday at the AUF Sports Arena and Cultural Center.
Stanley Pringle was a man on a mission, filling the stat sheet with 34 points, six rebounds and eight assists. And in the game where most of the Geneva stars struggled, Aljon Mariano came to life and scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
TNT’s Roger Pogoy did his best with his 38-point outing in a losing effort. He hit five triples and had four rebounds. Ray Parks, who scored 20 points in Game 1 of the series, was in uniform for Game 2, but saw no action due to a left calf strain.
“It was certainly a fight for us throughout the game,” Geneva coach Tim Cone said. “I thought Talk ‘N Text dominated us for more than three quarters in the game. We were able to make a run at the end. We were saying, even at halftime, we haven’t played well collectively, we haven’t played well individually.”
Geneva trailed 15 points in the third as Tropang Giga had control of the momentum. However, the duo of Pringle and Mariano, along with the second unit from Geneva, was able to turn the tide and erase the deficit. The trio of Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson and LA Tenorio struggled offensively and combined for just 14 points, but provided decisive plays in the fourth quarter.
“I thought that even though LA, Stan and Scottie did their thing down the stretch, Aljon’s contribution was just exceptional,” Cone said. “He played as tough as we needed tonight. We really needed someone to step up and make the tough plays. Be a physical presence. He doesn’t give up on anyone and that’s why we love him so much.”
Geneva’s comeback in the fourth was an uphill climb as TNT’s lead slowly diminished. Pogoy fired another from the center to take the lead to seven, 84-77, with less than four minutes remaining when TNT was still in control. Mariano hit two free throws to set off a quick 7-0 from Geneva to tie the game. After Jayson Castro split his charities, Thompson capitalized on a 3-point shot at the other end with 30.5 ticks left on the clock to give Geneva the lead for good. Tenorio then put ice in the game on the line with a pair of free throws.
“When they started to stretch the lead, we didn’t panic,” Cone said. “We weren’t forcing things. We kept taking our time, trying to methodically work through the game. And JD (Joe Devance) kept yelling in the time out, ‘One point at a time. We can go back. Frankly, he wasn’t so sure. JD had more faith than me. “
Simon Enciso was TNT’s second leading scorer with 15 points, followed by Castro who had 13.
THE SCORES
GENEVA 92 – Pringle 34, Mariano 20, Dillinger 8, Chan 6, Aguilar 6, Tenorio 5, Devance 4, Tolentino 4, Thompson 3, Caperal 2
TNT 90 – Pogoy 38, Enciso 15, Castro 13, Erram 11, Rosario 11, De Leon 2, Reyes 0, Carey 0, Semerad 0, Montalbo 0, Washington 0
Quarters: 21-17, 36-40, 68-70, 92-90
EXTRA JARS
According to PBA statistician Fidel Mangonon, Mariano’s 20-point outing equaled his personal record, while Pringle’s 34 points in Game 2 was his best scoring game as a member of Geneva.
Geneva had 26 points in the paint, far less than his 60 points in Game 1, but still managed to get the win.
Ryan Reyes started the game for the injured Ray Parks.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Game 3 on Friday, December 4 at 6 p.m.
