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RJ Abarrientos catches fire in the fourth quarter as Barangay Ginebra nails a bounce-back win over San Miguel to grab a 2-1 lead in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals
MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone knew this kind of performance from RJ Abarrientos would come.
Abarrientos broke out from his slump and fired 24 points in the Gin Kings’ 100-90 win over San Miguel in Game 3 of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinals Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, June 29.
Limited to just 4.5 points on a paltry 19% shooting in the first two games, the rookie guard unloaded 18 points in the fourth quarter alone as Ginebra kept the Beermen at bay and gained a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“What really makes him special is his ability to shoot the ball. We always encourage him to shoot it. If he is open, we want him to shoot it,” said Cone.
“If he is 1 for 11, we want him to take the next tough shot right after that because we know it is going to turn around for him.”
Game 3 felt like a continuation of Abarrientos’ offensive struggles as he scored just 6 points on a 3-of-11 clip through the first three periods.
But the No. 3 overall finally hit his mark in the final quarter, where he made 6 of his 8 field goals, including one from four-point land and a pair from three-point distance.
“He needs to stay aggressive for us to win games like this,” said Cone. “They’ve been defending well. But tonight, he got loose.”
The Scores
Barangay Ginebra 100 – Abarrientos 24, Malonzo 20, J.Aguilar 18, Thompson 16, Holt 10, Ahanmisi 7, Rosario 5, Pinto 0, R. Aguilar 0, Gray 0.
San Miguel 90 – Trollano 22, Fajardo 12, Cruz 11, Perez 11, Tiongson 10, Ross 6, Tuatuaa 6, Lassiter 5, Rosales 3, Brondial 2, Cahilig 0.
Quarters: 23-20, 46-50, 71-64, 100-90.
– Rappler.com
