Former MVP winner Kenneth Duremdes had his breakout game in a Coca-Cola uniform but Mark Caguioa had a bigger outing for Barangay Ginebra.
Caguioa dished out his best game in his return from the RP team, tying a tournament-high 35 points as the Kings outlasted the Tigers in a fiercely-fought match in the 2007-08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum Saturday.
The former Glendale Community College mainstay erupted for 26 points in the second half, including seven in the last 49 seconds to bail Ginebra out of trouble.
Scoring their first win since Caguioa’s return, the Kings gained some relief as they caught up with the Welcoat Dragons at eighth place at 3-6.
The Tigers slid deeper in the cellar as they absorbed a seventh straight defeat following a winning debut in the tourney. They have already matched the franchise’s longest losing skein suffered from Nov. 3 to Dec. 1 last year.
Worse, there could be no immediate solution in sight with key players John Arigo, Alex Cabagnot and Ronjay Buenafe nursing injuries.
The Tigers put up a brave front against the Kings as Duremdes and Mark Telan recalled their old forms only to falter at the finish.
The Kings pounced on the Tigers’ crucial errors at endgame with Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand closing the contest with a 9-0 run in the last 49 seconds.
Caguioa tied the tournament-high of 35 points twice made by Alaska’s Willie Miller as the Ginebra stalwart went 4-of-6 from the three-point range, 9-of-12 from the two-point zone and 5-of-6 from the stripe.
"The Fast and the Furious" went to work with Jayjay Helterbrand ably backing up Caguioa with 25 points, six assists and four rebounds.
"Games are very difficult for Ginebra nowadays. We have to find ways to have better games consistently," said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.
"We’re happy with the win but not with the way we got it. Of course, the players didn’t give up and that’s a good sign," Uichico added.
The Kings and the Tigers figured in a furious contest marked by seven deadlocks and 17 lead changes.
Duremdes paced the Tigers with 24 points – his best output in the team’s red uniform. Telan, meanwhile, had his sixth double-double game in the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
But Duremdes, Telan and the Tigers cracked up at the finish.
Coca-Cola was enjoying a five-point lead at 92-87 when Ginebra came through with a 10-to-nothing run to grab the lead to stay at 97-94.
The Tigers threatened the last time at 102-103 before Caguioa and Helterbrand went for the kill. (NC)
The scores:
Ginebra 110 – Caguioa 35, Helterbrand 25, Artadi 13, Reavis 12, Holper 6, Tubid 6, Salvacion 5, Mamaril 4, Menk 3, Macapagal 1, Aquino 0.
Coca-Cola 102 – Duremdes 24, Telan 22, Peek 18, Catli 14, Caceres 9, Enrile 4, Echavez 4, Dimaunahan 4, Tolomia 3, Isip 0.
/copied from: http://www.pba.ph/content/view/1879/59/
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