Watching Barangay Ginebra's never-say-die spirit in full effect never gets old.
LA Tenorio scored 31 points and was a perfect 13-of-13 from the free-throw line, and Barangay Ginebra defeated Alaska 108-97 at Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday to secure the 4th and last semifinal berth in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Aljon Mariano was an unlikely hero for Ginebra, scoring 20 points off the bench to help the tournament's No. 7 seed complete the upset.
"We picked the right time to play our best game this conference."
Ginebra overcoming the odds is an understatement. Last season, lower-seeded teams with a twice-to-win handicap were 1-9.
In their first game on Saturday, Ginebra rallied from 16 points down in the second half to beat Alaska and send their quarterfinal series to Tuesday's rubber match.
Cone and his crew won't be celebrating their win for too long though. Up next are Marc Pingris, Paul Lee and a red-hot Star.
"We know Purefoods (Star) pretty well," said Cone, who guided Star, then known as San Mig Coffee, to a Grand Slam.
The turning point in the deciding game came in the third quarter, where Ginebra outscored Alaska 31-18. Tenorio scattered 13 points in that stretch.
Kevin Ferrer contributed 15 points, and Scottie Thompson added 10 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals for Ginebra.
Calvin Abueva scored 29 points to lead Alaska, but it was the Aces' inability to score from the outside that led to the No. 2 seed's premature ouster.
RJ Jazul and Dondon Hontiveros were a combined 0-of-5 from 3-point range, while Jayvee Casio was only 2 of 6.
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