source: gmanetwork.com
The B-MEG Llamados flashed one of their best defensive performance of the conferences, holding Mark "The Spark" Caguioa to just three points, on route to beating his team, the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 82-70, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, in the PBA Governors' Cup.
"I think the biggest key was refreshing our commitment to defense. That got us feeling good with a renewed vigor," said B-MEG head coach Tim Cone.
The Llamados raced out to a 17-11 lead in the first quarter before JJ Helterbrand sparked a run at the start of the second to even the score up at 19-all. B-MEG, however, went on an 11-0 run to go up again by 11, 30-19, before the first half ended with the Llamados still ahead by seven, 32-25.
We've lost our Spark - Mark Caguioa was suffocated all day into a three-point performance. KC Cruz
Come the third, Billy Mamaril and Kerby Raymundo teamed up to finally get the go-ahead basket for the Kings, 43-42, with 5:48 remaining. Ginebra however did not enjoy the lead for long, as B-MEG became unstoppable in the shaded area, with Yancy de Ocampo, Rafi Reavis, and Pingris leading the Llamados to a 20-8 run to end the period, 62-51.
In the final quarter, the B-MEG lead ballooned to as much as 17 with five and a half minutes remaining, 74-57. Helterbrand tried to spark Ginebra's last run, as he scored five straight to cut the lead to eight with 2:56 remaining, 76-68, but a Blakely slam and a James Yap corner triple sealed the win for B-MEG, 82-70.
Marc Pingris had a standout performance on both ends of the court, finishing with 24 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, leading all scorers. Import Marqus Blakely added a 17-11 outing, while James Yap shrugged off back injuries to drop 11 more markers.
Ginebra got 22 points from import Cedirc Bozeman, while Jayjay Helterbrand had his best offensive showing of the Governors' Cup, firing in 16, with Kerby Raymundo in support with 14 more points, but the story of the night for the Barangay was Caguioa, who missed all 12 of his field goals and needed four attempts at the foul line to get his three points.
"You can't play Ginebra without making Caguioa your priority. You gotta really stop him," said Cone, of his team's sterling effort shutting down the Commissioner's Cup Best Player of the Conference. "PJ [Simon] might probably be our MVP today. He [really] limited Caguioa."
With the victory, the Llamados improved to 9-4, just a game behind the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, who also happen to be their final opponent in the conference semis, on Wednesday. Ginebra on the other hand stayed at 8-5, with their match against the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, also on Wednesday, becoming a must-win if they wish to keep their Finals hopes alive.
source: gmanetwork.com
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