Ginebra crushes Meralco to take semis opener

November 19 ------ Stanley Pringle scored 19 points and Scottie Thompson nearly finished with a triple-double, as Barangay Ginebra coasted past Meralco 96-79 to open their semifinals in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at AUF Sports Arena in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Thompson stuffed the stat sheet with 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and a block, as Ginebra broke away in the 2nd quarter to dispatch the Bolts. After Chris Newsome hit a jumper cut into Ginebra's 3-point lead halfway through the second, Ginebra went on an 11-2 run to close out the half to take a 48-36 halftime lead, a which coach Tim Cone and co. never relinquished.

Arvin Tolentino added 13 points and 3 3-pointers, LA Tenorio added 11 points, and 2 other Ginebra players finished in double-digit scoring for the top-seeded squad. "We were able to rest and practice, so obviously it's an advantage for us," said Cone, whose squad got 2 more days off than Meralco, which needed 2 games to beat San Miguel Beer and advance. "I'm glad our guys took advantage of it. Came out and played a good game."

Ginebra led Meralco in nearly every statistical category, especially in rebounding where Cone and his crew were plus-17. Meralco shot just 39% (31 of 78) from the field, while Ginebra was more efficient at 48% (39 of 81). Pringle credited that to Ginebra keeping Meralco in check. "Our main focus on defense," he said. "It's a big significance. Game 1 is important in a 5-game series." Allein Maliksi finished with 24 points, including 5 of 5 from 3-point range, to lead Meralco.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com/sports