DEFENDING champion Barangay Ginebra took care of business against undermanned NorthPort, 106-93, in their quarterfinal showdown in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.

Now, they get the opportunity to meet sister team and No.2 seed San Miguel Beer in what could be another titanic best-of-five semifinal battle.

Import Tony Bishop, Jamie Malonzo, Christian Standhardinger and Maverick Ahanmisi made their presence felt during a crippling 30-13 second-quarter assault by Ginebra against a NorthPort side which played minus ace gunner Arvin Tolentino.

Bishop finished with 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting, 15 rebounds, four assists and one steal against four turnovers in 43 minutes of action for coach Tim Cone.

Malonzo came through with 21 points, seven rebounds and two assists, while Standhardinger, who leads the Best Player of the Conference race, added a near triple-double with 18 points 10 rebounds and seven assist.

Ahanmisi chipped in with 16 points.

Cone said the Kings did not take the Batang Pier lightly despite the absence of the injury-hit Tolentino.

Tolentino, one of the leading contenders for the Best Player of the Conference award, missed action due to a knee injury.

Joshua Munzon carried the fight for NorthPort with 19 points, including four three-pointers, followed by John Michael Calma with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Import Venky Jois had a triple double of 18 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists in 44 minutes for the Bonnie Tan-mentored Batang Pier.

Earlier in the night, San Miguel slammed the door on Rain or Shine, 127-122, to book its own semifinals ticket.

The entry of San Miguel and Ginebra into the semis left only one slot open.

Phoenix Super LPG and Meralco will dispute the fourth and last spot in the Final Four in a do-or-die battle at 6:30 p.m. Sunday over at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Top seed Magnolia was the first to book a spot in the next round following a masterful 109-94 drubbing of No. 8 TNT last Wednesday.

The scores:

Ginebra (106) — Bishop 31, Malonzo 21, Standhardinger 18, Ahanmisi 16, Pringle 8, Thompson 4, Tenorio 3, Pinto 3, J.Aguilar 2, Onwubere 0, Pessumal 0.
NorthPort (93) — Munzon 19, Calma 19, Jois 18, Zamar 12, Paraiso 5, Flores 4, Bulanadi 4, Yu 3, Chan 3, Taha 2, Rosales 2, Adamos 2, Amores 0.
Quarterscores: 25-22, 55-35, 76-63, 106-93.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya