MANILA — Barangay Ginebra San Miguel notched their 3rd victory in six games after demolishing the Purefoods Star Hotshots,96-87 in their highly anticipated ‘Manila Clasico” showdown today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Michael Dunigan wreaked havoc in the paint after flirting with a double-double with 22 points and nine rebounds while Greg Slaughter added 19 points and eight rebounds.
Eman Monfort was the smallest man with the biggest heart on the court after sparking his team’s 3rd quarter surge. The 5’6 dynamo provided quality minutes for Ginebra after scoring 9 markers, to go along with seven rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals
Monfort spearheaded the colossal third quarter rally of Ginebra after burying key jumpshots while feeding off his teammates with picture-perfect passes enroute to a 62-47 lead.
But the Hotshots charged back heavily in the final canto after launching a 20-4 barrage, highlighted by back-to-back treys by Joe Devance that knotted the count at 78-all.
That proved to be their last push as Ginebra retaliated with six straight points,including a pivotal jumper by Eman Monfort for a 84-78 advantage with less than two minutes left in the final period.
Denzel Bowles tried to lit up a late rally but unfortunately, time is not on their side to steal the win.
However, the former “Best Import” awardee scored 31 points in his comeback after replacing the inefficient Daniel Orton.