MANILA, 11 November 2006 — Sweet revenge.

Given practically the same setting and with both teams playing their best, Barangay Ginebra last night not only got back at sister team San Miguel, 92-85, but also halted the Beermen’s tournament-best five-game winning streak in the PBA Philippine Cup.

Before an overflow crowd that filled every available space of the Araneta Coliseum, the Gin Kings did the things they had to in avenging a first round overtime loss to this same team which made thousands go home disappointed close to three weeks ago.

Mark Caguioa provided the spark for the Gin Kings, hitting five straight points in a crucial stretch late in the game, as Ginebra put enough cushion for a spirited rally by the Beermen to eventually climb to solo third with a 6-3 card.

The loss, the first in the last six games for San Miguel, pulled the Beermen down into a tie for fourth with another sister squad, the defending champion Purefoods Chunkee Giants at 5-4.

The return match was a virtual repeat of how tight the first was played, when the Beermen outsteadied the Kings in overtime despite leading by more than 20 points for most of the contest.

There were close to 11,000 fans that day at the Astrodome in Pasay, and last night, both teams played in front of a bigger crowd that appreciated the way they played but clearly had one favorite.

Caguioa shot all but five of his 28 points in the final two periods, giving his teammates the chance early before taking matters into his own hands when the game hung in the balance.

“He sacrificed himself at the start to give the other guys the chance to get their rhythm,” Ginebra coach Jong Uichico said.

Caguioa also finished with nine boards and seven assists in one of his finest all-round performances for the tournament.

The 5-foot-10 guard, who was born in Mandaluyong but was raised in the United States, actually scored seven straight points in a telling 9-0 run that allowed the Kings to wriggle out of a 79-77 game that broke the Beermen’s collective backs.

“Mark knew that eventually, the ball will be in his hands at endgame,” Uichico continued. “He’s now learning more on how this game is played and how he can truly help the team achieve its goals.”

Close to 15,000 paying fans were in attendance, and unlike in their 91-101 overtime loss, majority of them went home happy, not because of the Ginebra win but because of the feeling that they saw a good game. New acquisition Ronald Tubid shone in just his second game for the Kings, contributing 13 coming off the bench, the same total as Rudy Hatfield. Danny Seigle led the Beermen with 33 and Olsen Racela chipped in with 15 in a losing cause.

In the first game, meanwhile, Kelly Williams shook off jetlag and Sta. Lucia was in fine form again, repeating over Alaska, 101-98, to regain solo lead in the eliminations.

“Kelly’s gotten rid of the dizziness,” Sta. Lucia coach Alfrancis Chua told Arabnews in Filipino. “It’s nice to beat a team that is so strong and so organized.” Williams, who contributed little in a blowout loss to Red Bull earlier in the week, scattered 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to again pace the Realtors, who won for the seventh time in nine games and broke out of a tie for the lead with the Barako.

Alaska dropped to 2-7 with the loss, but this one could be a little easier to swallow for coach Tim Cone and his boys, who lost a string of five straight games that were lopsided and ugly.

Nic Belasco scored 20 points to lead Alaska, which almost erased a 13-point fourth quarter deficit only to fall short in the face of an inspired performance by the Realtors.

Williams was not alone, though, as the Realtors got 12 points each from Norman Gonzales, Alex Cabagnot and Dennis Espino.