LA Tenorio provided crucial leadership while Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, Christian Standhardinger, and Stanley Pringle delivered the needed firepower for Ginebra San Miguel, resulting in a decisive 90-71 victory over the Meralco Bolts on Friday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Tenorio, though scoring only seven points, was a significant presence on the court, inspiring his teammates to level their semifinals series at 2-2 in Game 4 of the Gin Kings’ best-of-seven showdown in the 48th Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup.
Aguilar led the charge with a game-high 21 points for Ginebra in their dominant performance against the Bolts.
Thompson and Standhardinger each contributed 15 points, propelling the Gin Kings, who seized an early lead with a 5-0 run in the opening minutes of the first quarter.
Pringle added 14 points for Ginebra, which held the Bolts to just 17 points in the second period and concluded the first quarter with a commanding 31-15 lead.
With their tight defense working effectively, Ginebra extended their dominance, closing the first half with a 47-32 advantage.
“LA just started making his presence felt. He just came out to take the lead,” said Gin Kings coach Tim Cone.
Tenorio’s three-pointer in the last 2:20 of the first quarter helped the Gin Kings pull away to a 27-12 lead.
Chris Banchero and Allein Maliksi each scored 14 points for the Bolts.