MANILA — Coach Tim Cone was glad that Ginebra once again played like a playoff team in Game 2 of the PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals against NorthPort on Monday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
“I thought today we showed the playoff intensity we kinda expected to happen in the first game,” Cone said after the game, comparing the Barangay’s Game 2 performance to their awful outing on Saturday night against the Batang Pier.
With its key players and Cone too just a few days fresh from their successful gold medal conquest in the Southeast Asian Games, the fatigue factor set in for Ginebra in Game 1 and suffered its worst playoff loss under Cone, only shooting 36 percent from the field all game long.
Cone even said he too was not feeling well since the SEA Games.
But two nights later, the team bounced back with a solid offensive outing that saw the 2017 Governors’ Cup champ making 52 percent of its field goals.
Stanley Pringle paced the Barangay, who tied their best-of-five series against the Batang Pier at 1-all, with 23 points, three rebounds, five assists, and three steals, while LA Tenorio added 20 points, one rebound, and four assists.
Despite struggling offensively, Justin Brownlee still put up a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds with five assists, two steals, and one block.
Michael Qualls, who went scoreless in the first quarter and only got to score late in the second, led the Batang Pier in scoring with 20 points alongside five rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block. (PNA)
