PBA: Hot-shooting Ginebra clobbers San Miguel to close in on semis
MANILA – A hot-shooting Barangay Ginebra pushed the San Miguel Beermen to the brink of elimination in the PBA 50 Governors’ Cup on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Gin Kings torched the Beermen with a 27-point beatdown, 126-99, in Game 2 of their quarterfinals series in the season-ending conference.
In the opening frame, RJ Abarrientos and Stephen Holt caught fire from beyond the arc, shooting six of the 11 total three-pointers of the Gin Kings to build a 12-point lead.
The Beermen were able to cut the deficit to a single digit at halftime thanks to the duo of Jerrick Ahanmisi and Don Trollano, who sparked offense off the bench.
But Ginebra came out firing once again in the second half to extend their lead to as much as 33 points, never giving San Miguel a chance to move within striking distance.
“Everyone is surprised as I am about this. We didn’t even dream that we would be able to get out even 1-1, much less 2-0. We’re definitely on a roll,” Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said at the post-game press conference.
“Our offense is clicking and guys are locked in defensively. We’re just trying to keep the pressure on Sam Miguel, keep attacking, keep going at him. So far it’s working. I really don’t have any complaints at this point,” he added.
Import Jordan Murphy led the way for the Gin Kings with 33 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals to earn player of the game honors.
“I mean, that was the game plan going in, just making sure that I can find my teammates so I’m getting doubled and recognized what defenses are throwing at me and just trying not to make the unselfish play,” Murphy said.
Abarrientos added 22 markers, including triples, and six assists, while Holt chipped in 19 points off five three-pointers.
Cjay Perez tried to carry the offensive load for the Beermen with 18 points, while Ahanmisi pitched in 17 markers and June Mar Fajardo added 16 points.
Despite having a 2-0 lead over San Miguel, Cone reminds Ginebra against complacency since it’s still a best-of-five series.
“Two games doesn’t make a series, as we all know. We’ve heard this many times before. I can’t even tell you how many series I’ve been in now on the PBA,” he said.
“I’ve seen a lot of things happen. Teams come back, teams get on a roll, teams get going forward. It’s just going to continue on us to not relax, let our guard down, and keep coming out with the same intensity game-to-game that we’ve been doing,” Cone shared.
Game 3 will take place on November 3 at the Dasmariñas City Arena in Cavite.
“We just play with what’s right in front of us. You know, we’re not going to worry about that [sweeping San Miguel]. We’re just going to come out and play,” Cone said.
“Hopefully, like we did tonight, just play with that kind of attitude and that aggressiveness and see what happens on Tuesday,” he added.