Barangay Ginebra solidified its position in the Top 4 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup with a 119-112 victory over the Phoenix Fuel Masters on Friday, May 16, night at the PhilSports Arena.

Fueled by a decisive 68-45 run across the second and third quarters, the Gin Kings built a commanding lead and survived a late Phoenix surge to notch their second straight win. The victory improved Ginebra’s record to 4-2, placing them in a tie for third with San Miguel Beer and moving them ahead of the Converge FiberXers (5-3) in win percentage.

Phoenix, meanwhile, dropped its second consecutive game and slid further down the standings at 2-5, just behind No. 8 Meralco (3-5).

Ginebra’s Balanced Attack

RJ Abarrientos led the charge with 25 points, while Japeth Aguilar added 24 in a vintage performance. Stephen Holt contributed 18, including four triples, and Scottie Thompson posted a double-double of 17 points and 13 assists to orchestrate the offense.

The Gin Kings at one point led by as many as 22 points (108-86) but had to stave off a Phoenix comeback in the closing minutes. The Fuel Masters outscored Ginebra 40-27 in the fourth quarter, but the early cushion proved too much to overcome.

Coach Tim Cone praised his team’s effort, particularly their efficiency and ball movement.

“I thought we played an absolutely fantastic game against them until the last three, four minutes with the second group. That got a little sloppy. But aside from that, I thought we played a really good game on both sides of the ball,” Cone said.

Despite Phoenix’s solid 50% shooting, Ginebra countered with a blazing 58.8% from the field. Cone also highlighted his team’s unselfishness, noting they had 20 assists on their 20 made field goals in the first half.

“They shot the ball really well tonight, and despite that, we were able to establish 20-point leads. That’s a credit to the guys and their unselfishness. We’re getting better. And this is the first time we’ve put back-to-back games together, so that’s really important to us,” Cone added.

Perkins’ Effort Not Enough

Jason Perkins turned in a valiant effort for Phoenix with a game-high 28 points, but it wasn’t enough to pull the Fuel Masters out of their slump. Phoenix had hoped to rebound from their 92-111 loss to San Miguel Beer last week and break into the top eight, but they remain stuck at ninth place.

With a tight race unfolding for the final playoff slots, the Fuel Masters will need to regroup quickly to stay in contention.