Tenorio wills Ginebra to Game 2 win over Meralco

MANILA, Philippines — LA Tenorio scored eight of Ginebra’s last 17 points as the Gin Kings frustrated Meralco, 86-76, and took a 2-0 series lead in their PBA Governors Cup Finals series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday night.

Down by four points in the game's final five minutes, the dimuntive Ginebra guard figured as the spearhead in the run that was sparked by a Japeth Aguilar dunk.

Tenorio would then score on a layup and a booming trey, and mounted a clutch defensive play against counterpart Baser Amer to put the Gin Kings in control in the final moments of the game.

Justin Brownlee, who paced Ginebra with a double-double in 19 points and 13 rebounds, iced the game from the charity stripe.

“It was anybody's game until (LA Tenorio) hit the shot,” Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone said. “He’s done that so many times and we’ve come to expect it.”

"He's playing with a bum elbow, too," the two-time Grand Slam mentor said of Tenorio’s long-distance shot.

The veteran guard finished the game with 14 points, three assists and two steals.

Allen Durham, who was earlier feted as the conference’s Best Import, led the Bolts in scoring and rebounding with 25 points and 22 boards.

Baser Amer and Ranidel de Ocampo chimed in 10 points each but it wasn’t enough to keep the Bolts on the driver's seat.

“This is a trying game because of the out-of-town experience they’ve had 48 hours ago,” Cone shared. “It was a trying weekend.”

“Now they’ve got two days to refresh. I think the next games will be valuable for both teams,” he said of the upcoming matches.

Game Three of the Finals will be on Wednesday at the same venue.

The Scores:

GINEBRA 86 - Brownlee 19, Aguilar 16, Tenorio 14, Devance 10, Thompson 9, Mercado 6, Caguioa 6, Ferrer 3, Slaughter 3.

MERALCO 76 - Durham 25, Amer 10, De Ocampo 10, Hodge 9, Newsome 8, Lanete 6, Dillinger 5, Tolomia 3, Caram 0, Hugnatan 0.

Quarters: 18-24, 40-37, 57-62, 86-76.