Scottie Thompson and Christian Standhardinger had all the answers for Barangay Ginebra down the stretch as they made one clutch basket after another to propel the Kings to a 115-110 win over the Meralco Bolts in Game Five of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings now hold a 3-2 series lead and will get the chance to claim the Governors’ Cup trophy in Game Six on Wednesday.
Ginebra import Justin Brownlee had another brilliant outing, putting in 40 points and 11 rebounds, but it was Thompson and Standhardinger that helped repel the Bolts’ comeback from a 14-point deficit in the fourth and final quarter.
Up by just one after a layup by Meralco guard Aaron Black, Standhardinger canned consecutive midrange jumpers to put Ginebra up by five. Then, Thompson skied high to snatch an offensive rebound that led to his own three-pointer to give the Kings a 105-97 lead with just 2:18 remaining in the game.
Thompson missed out on a triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, while Standhardinger added 13 points and seven rebounds.
“We did a great job of making shots all night,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone. “Just big shots the whole game. I didn’t think it was sustainable but we were able to sustain it for 48 minutes.”
Several locals also stepped up for the Kings led by Arvin Tolentino who had 16 points, spiked by four three-pointers. LA Tenorio added 10 points and seven assists, while Nards Pinto had eight.
Tony Bishop led Meralco with 30 points, most of which came in the fourth period. He also had 15 rebounds. Chris Newsome pitched in 27 points, six boards, and five assists, while Black had 25 points.
Meralco head coach Norman Black rued Bishop’s four-point production in the first half.
“He’s our import and he only scored four points in the first half so it’s a little bit difficult for the locals to make up that amount especially when you’re going up against Justin,” said Black. “And you know Justin can be very productive.”
“We struggled a little bit in the first half, maybe because of the lack of production coming from Tony, but he tried to make up for it in the second half,” Black added.
