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Barangay Ginebra dealt the San Miguel Beermen its first loss, 75-72, on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena to take the solo lead in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup.
The Kings, who started to break away in the third quarter, had to go through a nail-biter in the payoff period when the Beermen launched a mini run to pull within 72-74.
Standhardinger finished with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, capping his night with a hard drive to the basket that broke a 72-72 contest and put the Kings in front for good.
The Beermen had a chance to tie the game in the final seven seconds when CJ Perez found an open lane towards the basket. However, Scottie Thompson was quick to tap the ball away from a driving Perez, forcing a turnover on the part of the Beermen.
Ginebra held on, with LA Tenorio icing the game through the free throw line after San Miguel went through a penalty situation. LA Tenorio then split his charities at the other end with four seconds to play for the final count.
“I’m really pleased with the way we played tonight in terms of the effort, the energy, and coordination defensively,” said Coach Tim Cone of the win that put the Kings in solo first place.
Standhardinger added five assists and four steals.
Japeth Aguilar also had a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds, and his two-handed slam off a Standhardinger assist knotted the count at 72-all inside the final two minutes before the Fil-German big man scored on the go-ahead basket.
Reigning league MVP Thompson had an all-around game of 15 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
San Miguel went to guard Simon Enciso for the needed baskets in the fourth quarter, where he hit all four of his three pointers to keep the Beermen in the game.
The last of those three pointers levelled the score at 70-70 after the Beermen trailed by as many as eight to start the final quarter.
Enciso finished with a team-high 18 points making up for the absence of starting guard Chris Ross.
Perez added 17 points and eight rebounds, while six-time MVP June Mar Fajardo was held to just six points but grabbed 17 rebounds.
It was a perfect send-off for Ginebra coach Tim Cone who will be flying to the US to join the Miami Heat bench in the NBA Summer League.
Ginebra now has a 4-1 record, while San Miguel fell to 3-1.
The Scores
• Ginebra 75 – Standhardinger 20, J.Aguilar 15, Thompson 15, Tenorio 11, Tolentino 9, Caperal 3, Mariano 2, David 0, Pinto 0, Chan 0, Salado 0 • San Miguel 72 – Enciso 18, Perez 17, Cruz 12, Lassiter 10, Fajardo 6, Tautuaa 5, Brondial 2, Herndon 2, Pessumal 0
Quarters: 19-16, 33-33, 58-50, 75-72
