Barangay Ginebra made short work of Phoenix Super LPG, 109-89, to boost its twice-to-beat aspirations while making the race for the last quarterfinals berth a lot more interesting in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors' Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday.

The Gin Kings' anti-climatic win shoved the league's most popular team closer behind second-placer San Miguel Beer.

Ginebra's latest win improved its win-loss record to 6-2, just half a game behind San Miguel Beer.

But more importantly, coach Tim Cone and his troops solidified their hold of the third spot after notching its third straight victory.

Phoenix will have to wait a bit on its bid to crack the quarterfinal round as it absorbed its sixth loss in 10 games while seeing its three-game winning streak snapped.

Six players ended up in double figures for Ginebra, including Von Pessumal, who had his best game since donning a Gin King uniform.

Plucked from San Miguel Beer in a multi-player trade before the Commissioner's Cup, Pessumal tallied 14 points.

Christian Standhardinger had another solid game as he led the way with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.

Import Justin Brownlee took a backseat in offense and contributed 18 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.

Scottie Thompson and Jamie Malonzo poured in 16 and 14 points, respectively while Jeremiah Gray chipped in 11 for the Gin Kings.

The Scores:

GINEBRA 109 – Standhardinger 28, Brownlee 18, Thompson 16, Malonzo 14, Pessumal 14, Gray 11, Pringle 3, Onwubere 3, Pinto 2, Dillinger 0, R.Aguilar 0, David 0, Mariano 0

PHOENIX 89 – Maxwell 22, Manganti 15, Mocon 11, Serrano 9, Tio 9, Garcia 6, Perkins 5, Muyang 4, Camacho 2, Adamos 2, Alejandro 2, Jazul 2, Go 0, Lojera 0, Lalata 0