In the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup on Sunday night at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Ginebra defeated NorthPort 95-88 to win back-to-back games. Ralph Cu put on his greatest effort to date.

With 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists in the game, the rookie forward put the Kings on a 10-3 run to win the game and their fifth conference victory. With one more victory, they moved one game closer to ensuring a trip to the quarterfinals.

Cu completed the comeback after trailing by 10 points at the half. Cu made 6-of-11 shots from outside the arc, none greater than the three that broke the 85-all deadlock with 2:54 remaining to play.

Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, and Christian Standhardinger put the final touches on the victory that raised their card to 5-3.

Ginebra’s leading scorer with 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists was Standhardinger. Malonzo finished with six boards, four dimes, and 14 points. Maverick Ahanmisi scored 13 points, and Thompson contributed a line of 10-12-5-2-1.

However, Malonzo’s own fall with only 5.3 seconds remaining in the game prevented the Kings from celebrating their victory. His left leg gave way, creating a tense atmosphere in the arena, as he had to be helped out to the locker room.

On Friday, April 19, Ginebra will play rivals TNT at the Philsports Arena in Pasig. Naturally, we can only hope that Malonzo will be well before then.
NorthPort, on the other hand, dropped to 4-3 after losing its second straight game despite having 19 points and nine rebounds from Arvin Tolentino.

Joshua Munzon and William Navarro each scored 12 points, while Allyn Bulanadi chipped in 11 for Batang Pier, which had to play the entire game without JM Calma due to an apparent knee injury that occurred at 6:25 in the first quarter.

On Wednesday, April 17, at 4:30 p.m., NorthPort will attempt to halt its losing streak against the dominant Rain or Shine, who have won four consecutive.

The Scores

Ginebra 95 – Standhardinger 25, Cu 24, malonzo 14, Ahanmisi 13, Thompson 10, J.Aguilar 4, David 3, Pringle 2, Tenorio 0, Pinto 0, Onwubere 0.

NorthPort 88 – Tolentino 19, Munzon 12, Navarro 12, Bulanadi 11, Yu 8, Amores 7, Zamar 6, Calma 4, Lucero 4, Cuntapay 3, Flores 2, Rosales 0, Paraiso 0.

Quarter scores: 30-21; 43-53; 73-70; 95-88.