It didn’t take long for newly-minted head coach Jeffrey Cariaso to secure his first win in the PBA, after Barangay Ginebra San Miguel made quick work of GlobalPort, 89-71, in PLDT Home TVolution Telpad action on Tuesday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
A day after turning 26, Greg Slaughter finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds for Ginebra in Cariaso’s coaching debut.
“Greg is your perfect triangle center, he’s real strong and real big. Obviously there’s a mismatch today, he just opened it up for everybody else,” said Cariaso.
Slaughter and import Zaccheus Mason dominated down low to key a quick 9-2 run in the third quarter to push the lead to 14 points, 68-54.
The frontcourt duo continued to pounce in the fourth quarter as the Gin Kings doused water on any GlobalPort uprising.
Cariaso took over for Ginebra after almost three seasons as an assistant coach with the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers under coach Tim Cone. The Gin Kings showed glimpses of the triangle offense, the vaunted system preferred by Cone.
“What impressed me so far is just the guys willing to run the triangle. It’s not easy to run, not easy to get disciplined when you fell nothing’s happening, but with that, so far, I’m happy with how my guys are performing,” said Cariaso.
But they really made their hay on the defensive end, where they made life difficult for GlobalPort’s top guns. Import LeRoy Hickerson and Alex Cabagnot combined for 51 points, while the rest of the Batang Pier had just 20.
The scores:
GINEBRA 89 – Mason 21, Slaughter 19, Caguioa 15, Ellis 10, Aguilar 8, Baracael 7, Monfort 3, Reyes 2, Helterbrand 2, Mamaril 2, Knuttel 0, Tenorio 0, Urbiztondo 0.
GLOBALPORT 71 – Hickerson 30, Cabagnot 21, Washington 6, Macapagal 5, Salvador 4, Garcia 3, Menk 2, Matias 0, Taha 0, Ponferrada 0, Salva 0.
Quarters: 18-14, 41-39, 68-56, 89-71