Ginebra unleashed its never-say-die spirit and turned back Rain or Shine

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel unleashed its never-say-die spirit and turned back Rain or Shine, 97-90, to extend its winning streak to four games in the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Gin Kings crawled back from a 17-point deficit midway through the third quarter, holding the Elasto Painters to just one field goal in the final 2:33 to join Meralco in fourth place with a 6-5 win-loss mark.

LA Tenorio dished out a near triple-double performance with 20 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists and piloted Ginebra’s rally in the fourth quarter.


Mark Caguioa added 18 points, though he was not around when the Kings made the run. Rookie Chris Ellis chipped in 15 points and punctuated their team’s victory with a reverse windmill dunk that pegged the final score.

“We came out really flat. The good thing, we stuck together and got through this one,” said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen, who also drew 12 points from Billy Mamaril.

“We really struggled. Other people just stepped up and it’s a good indication for our team.”

Jayjay Helterbrand came off the bench and contributed six points, seven rebounds and five assists while rookie Yousef Taha also provided quality minutes in the fourth period with his hustle plays on defense.

Rain or Shine, which dropped to third place with a 8-4 mark, led by 15 at the half, 57-42, and was still in control after TY Tang hit a triple to start the final quarter for a 78-69 lead.

But Tenorio anchored a momentum-swinging 14-8 exchange he capped with a three-pointer to close in at 86-83 with 2:53 remaining.

Jeff Chan push the Rain or Shine to five points, 88-83, with a running jumper with 2:33 left in the game. But the Gin Kings unloaded 10-0 blast to take a 93-88 lead with just 16.7 seconds left.

JR Quinahan ended Rain or Shine’s drought with an undergoal stab but time was not on their side, allowing Ginebra to pull off another escape act.

Jervy Cruz led the Elasto Painters with 17 points and 12 rebounds and was 13-of-13 from the free throw line. Larry Rodriguez added 14 points, while rookie Chris Tiu returned from injury and contributed eight.

The scores:

GINEBRA 97 – Tenorio 20, Caguioa 18, Ellis 15, Mamaril 12, Wilson 9, Maierhofer 7, Helterbrand 6, Taha 4, Espiritu 2, Raymundo 2, Hatfield 2, Labagala 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 90 – Cruz 17, Rodriguez 14, Tang 12, Chan 11, Quinahan 10, Tiu 8, Arana 8, Belga 7, Matias 3, Norwood 0.

Quarters: 20-33, 42-57, 69-75, 97-90
-InterAKTV