Ababou shines as Ginebra flexes muscles with rout of San Mig

Barangay Ginebra made some noise in the off-season and bitter rival San Mig Coffee immediately heard it–loud and clear.

Flaunting their true form in the second half, the Gin Kings turned the tables on the undermanned Super Coffee Mixers and came away with a come-from-behind 86-69 victory Sunday night to set their PLDT-MyDSL PBA Philippine Cup title bid in motion before jampacked Smart-Araneta Coliseum crowd.

Considered by armchair pundits as this season’s team to beat following its bold moves in acquiring rookies and solid veterans, Ginebra got off to a jittery start, trailing by as many as 12 twice, but got the needed spark from comebacking forward Dylan Ababou in the pivotal half to stun San Mig Coffee, which played without guard PJ Simon and forward Joe Devance.

After suiting up for just six games last season following an ill-timed torn anterior cruciate injury, the 6-foot-3 Ababou emerged as the biggest surprise, pumping in all of his 16 points, spiked by three triples, in the final 24 minutes while teaming up with ace playmaker LA Tenorio and new acquisition Emman Monfort in the Gin Kings’ ferocious fightback before more than 20,000 fans.

High-leaping Japeth Aguilar led all scorers with 18 points, eight rebounds and five blocks while four other teammates, including top overall pick Greg Slaughter, contributed at least 10 markers for Ginebra, which outscored San Mig Coffee 52-27 in the second half.

ALSO READ: Manila Clasico: San Mig Coffee, Ginebra open PBA Philippine Cup

Guard Mark Barroca and reserve forward Val Acuna combined for 25 markers but the Super Coffee Mixers, the reigning Governors' Cup champions, hardly got the usual numbers from former two-time MVP James Yap and do-it-all forward Marc Pingris, no thanks to the Gin Kings’ rejuvenated defense.

Earlier, the teams paraded their respective muses before the pro league inducted to Hall of Fame the late Ed Ocampo, a former national team cager and head coach, along with cage greats Lim Eng Beng, Ronnie Magsanoc and Benjie Paras.

"Isa po itong patunay na malayo na po ang narating na liga na halos 40 na taon nang binuo,” said commissioner Chito Salud during the simple opening rites. “Malayo pa po ang landas na ating tatahakin pero patuloy nating palalakasin at pagagandahin ang PBA para sa inyo Sa pagbubukas ng PBA 39th season, gagawin po namin ang lahat ng makakaya para ituring niyo ang PBA bilang liga ng bayan."

The league also offered a minute of silence for the victims of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” which devastated majority parts of the Visayas recently.
 
The Main Man: Dylan Ababou is back.

Overshadowed by the arrival of highly-touted freshmen Greg Slaughter and James Forrester along with the acquisition of JayR Reyes and Emman Monfort, the 6-foot-3 Ababou stole the thunder by firing away 16 points while sparking the Gin Kings’ big surge in the second half.
 
Honorable Mentions: While much of the spotlight was focused on his fellow Atenean Greg Slaughter who passed his baptism of fire with a double-double effort of 10 points and 13 rebounds, power forward Japeth Aguilar made his presence felt.

The 6-foot-9 Aguilar, who is also making his recovery from an MCL injury, stood tallest with a game-high 18 points, eight rebounds and five big blocks, fully asserting his might against the equally-taller Super Coffee Mixers frontline.

Not to be outdone was LA Tenorio, who also sparkled with 17 points and 10 assists while teaming up with the smaller Emman Monfort manning the backcourt in their decisive second half push.
 
Game Turning Point: With head coach Ato Agustin deciding to put LA Tenorio at the 2-spot and Emman Monfort distributing the leather, the Gin Kings suddenly found their offensive flow and Dylan Ababou rose to the occasion as they unleashed a telling 21-6 charge bridging the third and fourth cantos to take a 68-60 lead.

From there, the Mixers completely went in disarray as the likes of JayR Reyes, and JayJay Helterbrand joined the fray, turning what was projected a tight game into an emphatic romp for the Gin Kings.
 
He Said It:
Ginebra head coach Ato Agustin: "In the first half, na-outhustle kami. Hindi naming game ‘yun. I reminded them na kailangang mag-hustle sila and mag-focus. Nag-work naman ‘yung adjustments naming. I told them na huwag madali. We had a lot of forced shots, committed a lot of turnovers and we were not sprinting back on defense. Nu’ng second half, we were able to dictate the tempo."
 
The scores:
Ginebra (86) – Aguilar 18, Tenorio 17, Ababou 16, Slaughter 10, Reyes 10, Ellis 7, Helterbrand 5, Caguioa 2, Monfort 1, Baracael 0, Urbiztondo 0, Forrester 0, Faundo 0.

San Mig Coffee (69) – Barroca 14, Acuna 11, Sanggalang 8, Yap 8, Pingris 7, Reavis 7, Melton 5, De Ocampo 4, Mallari 4, Holstein 1, Cawaling 0.

Quarterscores: 20-21; 34-42; 58-55; 86-69.