Huge fourth quarter rally propels Gin Kings past Painters for quarters bonus

MANILA, Philippines -- Barangay Ginebra unleashed a massive fourth quarter storm and pulled away from the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 98-80, in the final elimination game of the PBA Philippine Cup Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The Gin Kings thus secured the final twice-to-beat advantage of the All-Filipino conference and finished the eliminations with an 8-3 win-loss record, while the Painters dropped to the seventh seed with a 6-5 slate.

Stephen Holt scored 27 points in the game, with 17 coming from the second half. He also had 12 rebounds and four assists. Japeth Aguilar chipped in 18 markers, 10 boards and two dimes.

The game was tight through the third quarter, with Rain or Shine leading by just two, 63-61, with 7:30 remaining in the frame.

But Holt and Aguilar teamed up and finished the period with a 13-2 run to grab a 74-65 lead before a Keith Datu layup snapped the blitz, 67-74.

But the Gin Kings' hot run did not stop there, as they started the fourth quarter with 15 straight points capped by a Holt triple to push the lead to 22, 89-67, with 8:08 left.

Rain or Shine did not recover, as the nearest they got to was 17 points after a Mark Borboran jumper, 92-75, with 4:19 remaining.

But finishing touches by RJ Abarrientos and Von Pessumal put the cherry on top.

After the game, Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone lauded Holt for sparking the run.

“This is Stephen all the time. I mean, this is Stephen at practice. If you guys came to our practice and watched Stephen, this is Stephen all the time. That effort he brings to both sides of the ball is really phenomenal, and he really leads by example,” Cone said.

“And tonight he had a really good shooting night and led us in that department.

But usually it's the other things he leads us in, you know, the defense, the ball movement, the getting to the boards, getting back on defense, which was crucial for us tonight. That's the stuff that he usually leads us with,” he added.

Jamie Malonzo also produced for Ginebra with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Abarrientos had 11 markers.

Adrian Nocum and Santi Santillan poured in 13 points apiece for Rain or Shine. Anton Asistio and Mike Malonzo chipped in 11 and 10 markers, respectively.

With the playoffs starting this week, the pairings are all set.

Top-seeded San Miguel will be taking on Meralco; NLEX will face Rain or Shine;  Magnolia will try to knock off Grand Slam-seeking TNT; and Ginebra will be battling Converge in the last eight.

San Miguel, NLEX, Magnolia and Ginebra are holding twice-to-beat advantages.