The two made possible a telling 8-0 run by the Kings in the final five minutes that turned out to be the big difference in the nip-and-tuck game.
Caguioa had a basket and two free throws to spark off the scoring binge, later capping it by feeding Storey a perfect bounce pass off transition as Ginebra took the game’s biggest lead at 87-79 with three minutes remaining.
The Tropang Texters repeatedly threatened in the final minutes, cutting the deficit to just three, the last time at 93-90 on a Mac Cardona basket with 23 seconds left.
Storey finished with a game-high 33 points and 16 rebounds in his league debut, while Caguioa was the top local scorer with 19 markers, 17 coming in the second half despite playing with four fouls.
“I’ve been around the league for a long time, so I already know the stuff I had to do when I’m in such a situation (foul trouble)," said Caguioa at the end of Barangay Ginebra’s first meeting with Talk `N Text after their walkout-marred quarterfinal series in the last Philippine Cup.
Ronald Tubid added 16 points, including nine from three-point range, while JayJay Helterbrand had 11, including two free throws with 15 seconds left that clinched the win for the Kings, who joined Barako Coffee in the early lead of the season-ending conference.
Shawn Daniels had 19 points and 16 rebounds in playing for his first PBA team outside of Air21, while Cardona came through with 19.
Ranidel De Ocampo chipped in 14 points, but missed a desperation three-point attempt in the final 5 seconds after Jimmy Alapag also failed to connect from the same spot a few seconds earlier.
David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer
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