LA Tenorio drills game-winner for Barangay Ginebra, forces Game 7 in semis vs SMB

PBA

LA Tenorio drilled the game-winning triple to save Barangay Ginebra against San Miguel, 88-87, in Game 6 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With the win, Barangay Ginebra forced a do-or-die match on Wednesday.

The Gin Kings were trailing by just two points with 10 seconds left but they turned to veteran Tenorio for their final attempt.

CJ Perez tried to make one from the 4-point arc but it fell short, handing the victory to the Never Say Die squad.

Tenorio only had 9:40 minutes of play, seven of which were in the fourth quarter alone, but he had 11 points built on three triples including the final one which sealed the win for Barangay Ginebra.

"Miracles do happen," Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said.

"We were grasping for straws out there all game long, trying to find a way to continue to defend June Mar [Fajardo] with Japeth [Aguilar] cramping most of the game and we turned to our veteran, our leader and he made the big plays down the stretch, something we haven't been able to do in the series, but just LA's presence out there allowed us to make big plays down the stretch."

Cone, however, emphasized that it was not just one big shot.

"It was plays before that kept us in the game," Cone added.

San Miguel was leading 78-71 early in the fourth period but after Tenorio subbed in for RJ Abarrientos, he immediately made impact with a triple to answer Rodney Brondial's layup and put Ginebra closer, 74-80. Perez followed it up with a basket but Tenorio made one anew to put Ginebra within six again. 

Ginebra caught up with the Beermen until a trey from Tenorio tied the game at 83 with 3:53 remaining in the fourth period. This was followed by a Troy Rosario layup before a Jamie Malonzo foul on Fajardo put the latter on the line where he split his freebies. San Miguel reclaimed the lead after a Perez layup with 1:01 left before a split from Fajardo off a Scottie Thompson foul handed San Miguel the 87-85 lead. 

The Tenorio triple then happened.

"Every time I step on the court, I really try to make something happen. As a leader of the team, matagal na taon na, I really need to be on point on everything that I do. It doesn't matter if it's two minutes or one minute, I have to be a role model," Tenorio said.

Aside from Tenorio, Thompson also had an impressive game with 17 points and 16 rebounds, to go with eight assists and a steal, while Japeth Aguilar had 16 points. RJ Abarrientos, meanwhile, had 12 points, seven assists, three boards, and a block, while Stephen Holt and Troy Rosario also had 12 points each.

The win spoiled Fajardo's 21-point, 16-rebound outing for the Beermen, as Perez, Trollano, and Brondial were the only other double-digit scorers for San Miguel with 15, 13, and 12 points, respectively.

Scores:

—JKC, GMA Integrated News