INTAL SPARKLES AS GINEBRA RIPS TNT; KINGS GAIN SHARE OF 3RD

January 07, 2010

From: www.pba.ph

Barangay Ginebra hardly showed rustiness from the two-week Christmas break, blasting Talk n Text, 105-82, in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night. The Kings started strong and finished stronger, hacking out the emphatic win that enhanced their bid for a spot in the Magic Five. “This is an important win. We have two more games left and hopefully we can sustain our run. I don’t know if we can still get an outright semis berth but we’ll be happy getting automatic entry into the quarters,” said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico. “Getting an outright quarters slot was our original target. Medyo nagbago lang noong medyo hindi umusad because of injuries to our key players. But we’ve got into the groove and we’re hoping to get going,” Uichico added. The Kings caught up with the Tropang Texters at third on their identical 10-6 win-loss cards, behind the San Miguel Beermen (12-3) and the Alaska Milk Aces (11-2). JC Intal, Ronald Tubid, Enrico Villanueva and Eric Menk each scored at least 10 points as the Kings avenged a 15-point loss to the Tropang Texters in their previous encounter. Mark Caguioa returned from the injured list, getting eight points, two rebounds and one assist in nine minutes of action. “Mark played longer than what we anticipated. We’re not planning to play him that much but the opportunity came along. He’s status is still wait and see,” Uichico said. Intal and Tubid continued to play well at wing spots, combining for 37 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Talk n Text’s Macmac Cardona, the league leading scorer, was limited to seven points as he picked up two early fouls and ended up playing only 27 minutes. Still, the Texters engaged the Kings in a fierce battle in the first three quarters before fading away in the face of Ginebra’s searing charge in the final canto. Intal, Tubid and Billy Mamaril fuelled Ginebra’s decisive fourth-quarter run leading to a second straight win following a triumphant closing game in 2009 versus Coca-Cola. Intal led all scorers with 19 points, capping his exploits with an electrifying 360-degree slam in the closing minutes. Steadier early on, the Texters took the half at 47-43. Talk n Text got off to a slow start but shifted to high gear in the second quarter, erasing a 20-28 deficit in the opening period. The Kings, meanwhile, hit at a high 57-percent clip in the first quarter before slowing down with a 28.6-percent shooting in the second period. Ginebra came alive again in the third quarter, surging ahead again at 74-70. And there’s simply no stopping Ginebra in the final period. (SB)

The scores: Ginebra 105 - Intal 19, Tubid 18, Villanueva 12, Menk 10, Cruz 8, Caguioa 8, Baguio 7, Wilson 6, Mamaril 6, Salvacion 6, White 5, Abarrientos 0. Talk n Text 82 - Alapag 17, Castro 15, Carey 12, De Ocampo R. 11, Cardona 7, Belasco 5, Dillinger 4, Peek 4, Ritualo 0, Isip 3, Escobal 0, De Ocampo Y. 0. Quarterscores: 28-20, 43-47, 74-70, 105-82