MANILA, Philippines – The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings claimed a breakthrough victory in its best-of-7 PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series against Star as they took a hard-fought 73-62 victory over the Hotshots at the Mall of Asia Arena on Monday.

In a game wherein both teams had to bleed for points, the Gin Kings put together a scoring run when it mattered. They scored 11 unanswered points in the final quarter that turned a 59-60 deficit into a 71-60 lead.

Sol Mercado was instrumental in the run, knocking down two three-pointers, while Japeth Aguilar battled through foul trouble to fire a three-pointer of his own. But it was veteran Mark Caguioa who inspired the crucial rally, as his lay-up with 5:23 left started it all.

"We hit some shots. I think that was the big difference maker," Ginebra coach Tim Cone said after the game. "We hit some shots when we needed to, and that's something that we didn't do in the first two games."

The Gin Kings also rose to the occasion defensively, as they held Star scoreless for nearly five minutes after Mark Barroca gave the Hotshots their last lead with a floater at the 5:56 mark, 60-59. They would not score again until there was just 52 seconds left, when Mon Abundo finally ended the silence for the Hotshots.

Star's 62 points is the lowest output of any PBA team in the last five conferences.

With the victory, Ginebra snapped Star's eight-game winning streak and trimmed the series deficit to just one game. The Hotshots still lead, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series.

"The good news is we're back in the series right now," said Cone. "We're not even, but we're back in."

Mercado finished with 16 points, while Aguilar had 15 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks. Caguioa tallied eight points in just 12 minutes of action.

Defensive grind

The first half was a defensive grind for both teams, with Ginebra taking a 21-10 edge after the opening frame by limiting the Hotshots to only five-of-15 shooting from the field.

The tables turned in the second quarter, however, with the Hotshots finally managing to get their inside shots to go after struggling to convert in the first frame. They also began to find their range; PJ Simon and Justin Melton both hit from the outside to help Star trim the deficit.

Lay-ups by Japeth Aguilar and Kevin Ferrer made it 33-26, but Ian Sangalang's split at the line, and Jiovani Jalalon's tough leaner at the buzzer allowed the Hotshots to enter the halftime break down by just four points, 33-29.

Star seized the lead for the first time after Barroca drained one of his patented one-handed push shots to make it 43-42 in his team's favor. It was a back-and-forth game from that point, though Star entered the fourth quarter on top 51-50 after Jalalon's three-pointer.

A lay-up by Scottie Thompson put the Gin Kings ahead once more, 59-56, with under eight minutes left to play. But Star, inspired by the remarkable hustle of Pingris, regained the lead off a Paul Lee jumper and another floater by Barroca that made it 60-59.

It turned out to be their last lead. In transition, Caguioa was able to shake off his defender with a spin move, then gently kissed the ball off the glass for what turned out to be the go-ahead basket. It was all Ginebra from that point on.

"I thought Mark was really key," said Cone. "Kevin played heavy minutes, and Sol's defense on Paul Lee was outstanding tonight. But both teams were bleeding for points."

Also crucial for Ginebra was the return of Joe Devance, who missed the first two games due to an injury in his left foot. The veteran forward had six points and six rebounds in 18 minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter.

The Gin Kings connected on only 39% of their shots, including four of 20 three-point attempts.

The Hotshots were even worse offensively. Star made only 27 of 92 attempts for a 29% rate, and only five of 27 three-pointers. As a team, they attempted only six free throws and made three of them.

Pingris led Star with 12 points and 18 rebounds, but no other Hotshot finished in double-digits. Lee, the hero of both Game 1 and Game 2, tallied seven points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field.

Game 4 is on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The scores:

GINEBRA 73 - Mercado 16, Aguilar 15, Caguioa 8, Tenorio 7, Thompson 7, Ferrer 6, Devance 6, Cruz 3, Marcelo 3, Ellis 2, Mariano 0, Helterbrand 0, Mariano 0.

STAR 62 - Pingris 12, Melton 8, Jalalon 7, Lee 7, Barroca 6, Sangalang 6, Simon 5, Maliksi 4, Reavis 3, Abundo 2, Dela Rosa 2, Brondial 0, Ramos 0.

Quarterscores: 21-10, 33-29, 50-51, 73-62.

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