Pure dominance: Standhardinger’s near triple-double tows Ginebra past Converge

MANILA, Philippines – Christian Standhardinger can do it all for Barangay Ginebra.

Thanks to a near triple-double performance by the 6-foot-8 big man, Ginebra boosted its bid for a twice-to-beat playoff bonus in the PBA Philippine Cup following a 105-93 rout of the also-ran Converge FiberXers at the Aquilino Pimentel Jr. International Convention Center in Cagayan de Oro on Saturday, April 27. 

Standhardinger racked up a massive stat line of 33 points on 15-of-23 shooting, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks for the second-seeded Gin Kings, who picked up their fourth consecutive victory to improve to a 7-3 record. 

Standhardinger went to work for Ginebra early, dropping 19 of his 33 points in just the first two quarters of play as the Gin Kings entered the break with a 48-all deadlock with the FiberXers. 

In the third frame, Standhardinger continued to impose his will against the thinner Converge frontline to help the Gin Kings pull away from the FiberXers with a strong 35-21 third-quarter rally.

By the start of the fourth period, Standhardinger already had 27 markers, 10 boards, and 9 dimes across his name as Ginebra coasted the rest of the way. 

Aside from Standhardinger, the four other Ginebra starters also finished in double-digit scoring, with Maverick Ahanmisi putting up 17, Ralph Cu chipping in 13, Japeth Aguilar producing 12, and Scottie Thompson contributing 10. 

On the other side, Alec Stockton fired a team-high 32 points for the 1-9 FiberXers, who were sent crashing back to earth after snapping an eight-game losing skid in their previous outing.

Justin Arana helped Stockton carry Converge’s scoring load with 18 points, while Aljun Meleco added 10 off the bench.

The Scores

Ginebra 105 – Standhardinger 33, Ahanmisi 17, Cu 13, J. Aguilar 12, Thompson 10, Pinto 10, Murrell 3, Pringle 3, Pessumal 3, Gumaru 1, David 0, Onwubere 0, Tenorio 0, R. Aguilar 0.

Converge 93 – Stockton 32, Arana 18, Melecio 10, Winston 9, Delos Santos 7, Maagdenberg 7, Santyos 5, Caralipio 2, Fornilos 2, Flores 1, Nieto 0.

Quarters: 24-21, 48-48, 83-69, 105-93.

– Rappler.com