The Gin Kings rode on explosive runs bridging the two halves to seize control then sustained the momentum in the fourth quarter to post the emphatic victory — Tanquincen’s first after absorbing five straight losses since he took over the coaching job from Allan Caidic last month.
The victory was Ginebra’s fourth overall against seven losses as it revived its hopes of advancing in the next round after languishing in the cellar following their pathetic skid.
The Gin Kings thus caught up with the streaking Sta. Lucia Realtors for seventh place while dealing the Aces their fourth setback in 11 games.
Mark Caguioa and Eric Menk stood at the forefront of Ginebra’s fiery attack in the third quarter that had the Gin Kings storming to leads of as many as 20, 71-51, 5:45 left in the period.
Caguioa and Menk finished with 29 and 24 points, respectively, while three other Gin Kings churned out double-digit outputs.
Alaska did clamp down on defense and come up with clutch baskets to close the gap at 71-60. But that was the closest that the Aces could get as the Gin Kings closed the quarter with six unanswered points and sat on a 77-60 cushion.
The crowd favorites then held sway in the fourth, foiling the Aces’ fightback with a shackling defense while sustaining their firepower to win pulling away.