Brgy. Ginebra Gin Kings vs B-Meg Llamados

MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra refused to surrender, reliving its never-say-die spirit as it thwarted B-Meg, 88-79, to force a fourth game in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five semifinal showdown at the Cuneta Astrodome tonight.

Mike Cortez and KG Canaleta stepped up big time and proved to be the Kings’ biggest saviors as they ducked the Llamados’ knockout blow, thus, staying in the fight for the finals.

The Kings try to stretch the series to full distance as they go for a follow-up win in Game Four at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday.

Cortez came through with a rare triple-double performance with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while Canaleta got away with 4-of-8 three-point shooting and a total of 23 points as the Kings lived to fight another game.

“I can’t ask anything more from the guys. They know our situation that we have to cover for the 18 points we usually get from Mark Caguioa. Everybody’s pitching in and that has to be the way,” said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen.

Dylan Ababou and Jayjay Helterbrand also produced double-digit outputs as Ginebra finally pulled one in the series with injured main man Caguioa helpless on the bench.

“For sure, we played better tonight than the first two games. The sense of urgency was there. It’s no longer about the X's and O's of the game. It boiled down to heart,” said Tanquingcen.

Ginebra triumphed even as Jackson Vroman limited to eight points and 10 rebounds.

 B-Meg import Denzel Bowles, however, also groped for form and the early ejection of Marc Pingris didn’t help the Llamados’ cause.

Pingris was thrown out of the game in the second quarter on two technical infractions he committed 36 seconds apart.

The 6-foot-4 B-Meg forward and Kerby Raymundo were earlier called a double T. Pingris later got the boot on a flagrant foul on a driving Canaleta.

Hardly shaken, Canaleta led all scorers in the contest with a 7-of-15 field shooting and 5-of-6 free throws.

The high-leaping Ginebra forward waxed hottest in the fourth quarter, knocking four treys in a decisive romp that gave the Kings an 83-74 lead entering the last two minutes of the game.

B-Meg hit strides playing all-Filipino in the closing minutes of the second quarter, erasing a 10-point deficit, 29-19, and drawing even at 37 at the half.

James Yap banged away two three-pointers while PJ Simon converted two baskets on tough drives in the key run forging the first deadlock in the contest.

Ginebra, however, returned with a renewed energy in the third quarter, regaining double-digit spreads at 53-43 and 57-47.

The Kings seized the early initiative, opening with a 15-7 binge and leading by as many as 11, 23-12, with Canaleta and Raymundo combining for the first six points in the second period.

The two imports were non-factors with Vroman stuggling with a 2-of-7 shooting as against Bowles’ 0-of-6 clip in the first two quarters.