Caguioa delivers late as Ginebra outlasts GlobalPort in OT

MANILA, Philippines – That was a classic.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the GlobalPort Batang Pier were at their best on Wednesday, June 3, delivering great performances and exchanging dagger after another late in regulation plus overtime to provide PBA fans at the Mall of Asia Arena with a game to remember. 

But when the final buzzer sounded, it was a late floater by veteran Mark Caguioa that proved to be the sealer, as Ginebra escaped with a 111-108 victory to improve to 3-4 in the PBA Governors’ Cup. 

“Mark started slow… but at the endgame with one of those last plays, we opted to go to Mark and Mark simply delivered. Maasahan talaga si Mark (he can really be relied upon),” said team head coach Frankie Lim, who stressed the importance of Wednesday’s win in the hunt for a playoff seed. 

“[It was a] big win for us. Feeling ko pag talo kami, lubog na siguro (had we lost, we would have drowned). Because with 2 wins and 5 losses, medyo mahirap makabalik (it would be hard to bounce back). But now we’re giving a new lease of life. Nanduon kami sa gitna (we’re in the middle). We have a bigger chance of making it to the next round.” 

Attaining victory did not come easy. Both teams traded haymakers throughout the game, which was tied at 98 with 49 seconds remaining. On 3 different offensive possessions after, Ginebra earned trips to the foul line but split each visit – with import Orlando Johnson missing the most critical one with 9 seconds remaining that could have put his team up 4. 

Trailing instead by 3, GlobalPort turned to Asian import Omar Krayem who nailed a long contested triple that tied the game and sent it to overtime.

WATCH: Krayem ties the game with a 3 with 4.5 remaining! @rapplerdotcom #PBA https://t.co/EK0256jrUz

— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) June 3, 2015

 

Johnson misses at the buzzer. This game is going to OT. @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/pvNUSvxNEC

— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) June 3, 2015

Both teams were tied again at 105 with 52 seconds left in the extra 5-minute session. After Japeth Aguilar put the Gin Kings ahead 107-105 with 44 seconds left, Krayem responded by hitting another 3-pointer – this one was open – to put the Batang Pier up one with 28 seconds left. 

After a Ginebra time-out and with 12 seconds left on the clock, Caguioa attacked the paint and hit a tough floater to put his team back up by one. On the next possession, a 3-point attempt by Keith Jensen was blocked by Aguilar, who was subsequently fouled and made both charities. 

Caguioa delivers late, putting @barangayginebra ahead 109-108 with 12.2 to go. #PBAVineReplay https://t.co/EbUDlz8NDL

— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) June 3, 2015

GlobalPort had a chance to tie with 2 seconds left, by Jarrid Famous air-balled a triple. 

This was the 3-pointer missed by Famous that sealed Ginebra’s win. #rstream pic.twitter.com/8x1aPCye4C

— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) June 3, 2015

“Medyo mabigat talaga yung Global. Mahirap talunin (GlobalPort is tough to deal with). It’s a strong team. With their import, plus very talented guards like Pringle, the Asian import, and Romeo, mahirap iwanan sa labas (it’s hard to leave them open from the outside),” Lim said about the Batang Pier.

“That was big,” he later added while also discussing that he was disappointed with the effort his team gave in their recent loss to San Miguel. “Big. Sabi ko nga sakanya in my pre-game (I told them before the game), this will boil down to the kind of effort you give in the game.” 

Johnson led with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists. Aguilar had 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks.  

JJ Helterbrand and Caguioa each played well too, putting up 13 and 12 points, respectively, while new Ginebra Asian import Kim Jiwan from Korea had 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting in his debut. 

“It’s all about effort. malaking bagay rin saamin yung pag dating ni Jiwan. Nagkaroon kami nang additional weapon (Jiwan’s arrival was big. We got a new weapon),” Lim said about his import, who arrived in the Philippines just two days ago. 

Famous led GlobalPort with 39 points and 28 rebounds – both PBA career-highs. Krayem put up 19 points, while Terrence Romeo registered 18. Stanley Pringle put up 13 points and 8 rebounds, but shot just 5-of-16 from the floor. 

GlobalPort, now 4-3, will aim to bounce back on Sunday, June 7, when they take on the 5-1 Barako Bull Energy. Ginebra, on the other hand, will play the 2-4 Star Hotshots on the same day. 

Scores

BARANGAY GINEBRA 111: Johnson 34, Aguilar 18, Helterbrand 13, Tenorio 12, Caguioa 12, Kim 11, Slaughter 7, Pena 2, Marcelo 2, Urbiztondo 0, Mercado 0, Brondial 0.

GLOBALPORT 108: Famous 39, Krayem 19, Romeo 18, Pringle 13, Jensen 5, Mamaril 4, Semerad 3, Buenafe 3, Hayes 2, Kramer 2, Isip 0, Miranda 0. 

Quarter Scores: 21-25, 50-46, 78-77, 101-101, 111-108

– Rappler.com