MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings had a blazing start in the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup as they clobbered Terrafirma Dyip, 101-80, on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Japeth Aguilar spearheaded the offense with 30 points, on 12-of-15 two-point field goal shooting, to go with seven rebounds, four blocks, and two assists as the Gin Kings opened their conference on a winning note.
“I just had time to do some reflection after our finals loss (in the Commissioner’s Cup),” Aguilar said in a post-game interview. “Coming into this conference, it is up to us locals to carry the fight for the team.”
Rhon Jay Abarrientos added 14 points and seven assists, Earl Scottie Thompson tallied 11 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, while Stephen Holt contributed 10 markers for the Gin Kings, which led by as many as 22 points in the game.
Dampener in the Gin Kings’ lopsided win, however, was the right leg injury sustained by Jeremiah Gray in the second quarter. He did not return in the second half and finished with six points and five rebounds.
“I think our guys are good at moving forward and moving on, we don’t look back,” said Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone after the game. “We are more motivated because it’s an All-Filipino (conference) and we are trying to get a win today.”
“We played a solid game tonight. It was not great but it is solid, but little softy at times, but it’s a first game for us, so we are hoping that we can tight things up and we can be better in our second game,” he added.
Conrad Catapusan top-scored for the Dyip with 14 points, Mark Nonoy added 13 markers, while Mark Sangalang and Aldrech Ramos tallied 12 and 11, respectively, as they dropped to a 1-3 mark.
Meanwhile, NLEX Road Warriors showed no mercy for sister team TNT Tropang 5G, scoring a 91-74 victory. They now have a 2-1 win-loss slate after netting their second straight win.
JB Bahio finished with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds, Xyrus Torres and Robert Bolick Jr. added 13 markers apiece, Javee Mocon provided 11 markers, and Enoch Valdez and Brandon Ramirez contributed 10 points apiece for NLEX./PN
BOX SCORE:
GINEBRA 101 – J. Aguilar 30, Abarrientos 14, Thompson 11, Holt 10, Ahanmisi 9, Pinto 8, Gray 6, Rosario 5, R. Aguilar 4, Mariano 2, Adamos 2, Cu 0, Pessumal 0.
TERRAFIRMA 80 – Catapusan 14, Nonoy 13, Sangalang 12, Ramos 11, Pringle 9, Ferrer 7, Zaldivar 7, Melecio 4, Paraiso 2, Hernandez 1, Hanapi 0, Olivario 0.
Quarterscores: 30-17, 51-35, 75-52, 101-80.
