MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATED) Barangay Ginebra opened its campaign in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup on a strong note, as the Gin Kings overwhelmed the TNT KaTropa, 90-79, at the Philippine Arena on Sunday evening.

In front of 23,711 fans at the huge venue, the Gin Kings blew the game open in the fourth quarter to surge to the early lead in the All-Filipino Conference.

A 6-0 blast to end the third quarter proved crucial for Ginebra, as they turned a slim 59-57 advantage into a 63-57 lead. They ramped up the intensity in the payoff period, pouncing on TNT's misses for quick points and exposing their defense with easy forays to the basket.

Ginebra built a double-digit lead, 76-64, with 7:29 to go off two charities by Aljon Mariano, and they cruised to victory from there.

"It was good to go out there and get that win against Talk 'N Text," said Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who acknowledged that playing the opening game was "always tough."

"They started with four smalls, and we were concerned because we didn't know how we'll match up. But luckily, they didn't shoot the three-ball as well as they usually do, and we were able to control the inside," he added.

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Japeth Aguilar, fresh off a First Mythical Team selection, had 21 points on 8/13 shooting from the field, while Greg Slaughter had 15 points and 7 rebounds. Scottie Thompson finished with 9 points and 10 boards.

The Gin Kings led by as much as 18 points in the first half, before a late surge by TNT led by Don Trollano allowed the KaTropa to head into the half just down by seven points, 49-42.

TNT continued to claw their way back in the third quarter, coming to within one possession multiple times -- the last with 3:54 left in the canto off a Roger Pogoy bucket that made it 59-57.

But the KaTropa could not score the rest of the way, while Sol Mercado sparked a 6-0 run for the Gin Kings that gave them enough separation. They went on to dominate the final period, as TNT's defense could not keep up with their ball movement that allowed Mercado, Greg Slaughter, and Scottie Thompson to zip to the lane for easy shots.

Ginebra led by 17, 90-73, off a reverse by Mercado before a late scoring surge by Brian Heruela made the final score more respectable.

Pogoy finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Jayson Castro also had a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists for TNT. However, the KaTropa made only 32.6% of their shots -- missing several looks at the rim -- while allowing Ginebra to torch them for 46.5% shooting.

The scores:

GINEBRA 90 - Aguilar J. 21, Slaughter 15, Mercado 11, Thompson 9, Ferrer 9, Mariano 6, Devance 5, Tenorio 5, Teodoro 4, Cruz 3, Caperal 2, Aguilar R. 0.

TNT 79 - Pogoy 20, Castro 17, Trollano 15, Heruela 14, Reyes 6, Cruz 4, Williams 2, Golla 0, Semerad D. 0, Miranda 0, Carey 0.

Quarter scores: 28-15, 49-42, 63-57, 90-79.

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