After two straight wins to even the series, the Gin Kings faltered, 89-80, allowing the Hotshots to take 3-2 series lead and point guard LA Tenorio knows just what happened.
“We were there physically but not mentally,” said Tenorio Friday at Mall of Asia Arena after the Kings’ Game 5 loss in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
TAR shrugged off a late rally by Barangay Ginebra as it hacked out an 89-80 victory on Friday night to move on the cusp of reaching the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
The Hotshots banked on a breakaway in the third quarter where they outscored the Gin Kings, 22-10, to build enough cushion to withstand their late stand in the fourth period to pull off the win in Game Five of their semifinal series.
GINEBRA GAME6 STAR
EVENTS: Full Game Replay
Where: SMART ARANETA COLISEUM
When: SUNDAY 19, 2017
Rafi Reavis sustained his resurgence, tallying 17 points and 13 boards to lead the Hotshots, while Mark Barroca, Paul Lee, and Allein Maliksi also put up solid numbers for a starting unit that greatly outplayed their Gin Kings counterpart.
The Gin Kings’ starters failed to find rhythm, so much so that coach Ginebra coach Tim Cone turned mostly to his role players in in the payoff period.
Barangay Ginebra as it walloped Star, 91-67, on Sunday night to force sudden death in their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series.
Pushed to the brink of elimination after suffering an 89-80 loss in Game Five last Friday, the Gin Kings responded to the challenge with their A-Game, turning the game around in the third quarter before sustaining the surge in the fourth period to coast to the win in Game Six before a crowd of over 18,000 people at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.