MANILA — Japeth Aguilar played the hero's role, making two spectacular plays in the endgame, to lift the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings to a thrilling come-from-behind 97-95 win over Talk ‘N Text Sunday night in the PLDT MyDSL Philippine Cup at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum. Never known for nailing three-pointers, Aguilar made two clutch treys in the endgame, including the game winner with 1.1 seconds left. To complete his heroics, the 6'9” power forward preserved the Kings' victory with a huge block of Ranidel de Ocampo's shot as time expired. Aguilar finished with 21 points, 19 of them in the second half. He also hauled down 12 rebounds and made seven blocks. Chris Ellis contributed 17 points while Greg Slaughter added 16 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. Mac Baracael also shone for Ginebra, scoring 12 points including two crucial three-pointers in the endgame. The Kings thus secured the solo second spot in the standings with their fourth win in five games, bouncing back from a grievous loss in their last game against the Meralco Bolts Tuesday. Ginebra won despite limited production from stars LA Tenorio and Mark Caguioa who were both down with flu at game time. The two combined for just five points. Talk ‘N Text appeared to be in full control of the match, leading 80-70 at the start of fourth quarter. The Kings came charging back with a 14-4 run capped by a Baracael trey, tying the score at 84-all. A Kelly Williams' putback gave Talk ‘N Text the lead anew, 93-92, with 1:02 left. The Texters were still ahead, 95-94, with two ticks left when Tenorio whipped a pass to an open Aguilar behind the three-point arc. Without any hesitation, Aguilar fired launch a shot that went in as the jampacked coliseum erupted in cheers. After a Talk ‘N Text timeout, Aguilar soared high to block a De Ocampo shot as the final buzzer sounded. Jayson Castro led Talk ‘N Text with 27 points but scored just two points in the final period. Larry Fonacier chipped in 23 points. The defeat snapped the two-game winning streak of the Texters who slid to solo fourth with a 4-2 win-loss record. GlobalPort 90, Rain or Shine 88 The GlobalPort Batang Pier recorded its first back-to-back victories in the league, repulsing the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 90-88, in the first match of the Sunday double-header. Jay Washington and Sol Mercado scored 20 points apiece as GlobalPort reprised its victory over Meralco on Friday night with another impressive display of firepower and defensive might. The Batang Pier were ahead, 70-60, at the start of the final quarter when Paul Lee sparked a mighty Rain or Shine counterattack. Lee scored 13 of his 20 points in that period, including a three-pointer that tied the match at 87-all with less than three minutes left. The two squads engaged in a furious battle down the stretch. After Globalport rookie Justin Chua scored the game's final basket, breaking the last deadlock and shoving the Batang Pier ahead by two points, Lee had a chance to steal the game for Rain or Shine. However, his three-pointer clanked off the rim as time expired. Washington added 13 rebounds for GlobalPort, whose win-loss record improved to an even 3-3, good for solo fifth in the standings. RR Garcia and Chua added 13 and 12 points, respectively. JR Quinahan added 14 points and eight rebounds for Rain or Shine, whose record dropped to 4-2. Games Wednesday: Petron Blaze vs. Air 21 and San Mig Coffee vs. Meralco.
