MANILA - The Barangay Ginebra Kings pummelled the hapless Mahindra Floodbuster, 89-70, for just their second win in four games in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday night. After a tight first half which saw Ginebra trailing, 14-16, the Kings finally got their offensive rhythm going in the second half, making full use of their height advantage and their deep bench. Mahindra stayed winless after five games, the only team still to break into the win column. Japeth Aguilar once again led the Kings with 15 points and 12 boards. Coach Tim Cone for the first allowed Kevin Ferrer to play extended minutes, and the prized rookie did not disappoint, finishing with 12 points, the same output produced by Chris Ellis. Ferrer also had three boards, one assist, and one block, with no turnover. With Ginebra in full control of the game in the final period, Cone also had the luxury of emptying his bench as rookie big men 6'5" Jamer Jamito and 6'11" Jericho de Guzman played their first game and produced points—Jamito finishing with 4 and De Guzman, 2. New Ginebra recruit Paolo Taha also played 11 minutes against his former team, scoring eight points and grabbing two boards. Mark Yee led the Floodbuster with 15 points, while Nico Salva also delivered against his former team with 11 points. TNT 117, Phoenix 98 The TNT KaTropa Texters got back on the winning track after a loss, blasting the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 117-98, for their third win in five games. Former MVP Kelly Williams showed flashes of his old deadly form as he and Jayson Castro led the Texters, posting 18 points apiece. Williams also grabbed 10 rebounds while Castro had four assists. Troy Rosario also played a big role in the TNT win, tallying 17 points and nine boards. Kris Rosales added 14 while Mo Tautuaa had 11 markers. It was the first victory for new TNT coach Nash Racela. Seeking to bounce back from a bitter loss to sister team Meralco in their last game, the Texters came out belching fire from the get-go, erecting an early lead and never relaxing their grip on the hapless Fuel Masters. TNT led by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter, shooting an impressive 47 percent from the field. The Texters also forced the Fuel Masters to commit 28 turnovers. Phoenix suffered another devastating defeat after a 44-point blowout loss at the hands of the Star Hotshots last week. Phoenix thus dropped to a 2-3 win-loss card. Mark Borboran paced the Fuel Masters with 18 points while rookie Matthew Wright finished with 17 markers, 14 of them in the first half. Cyrus Baguio added 15 points while JC Intal and rookie Gelo Alolino chipped in with 11 and 10 markers, respectively. Game Saturday: San Miguel Beermen (3-1) vs. NLEX Road Warriors (1-3).
