MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings snapped their skid in the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup with an 85-66 rout of Converge FiberXers on Saturday night at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in Pampanga.
Japeth Aguilar had a triumphant homecoming, tallying 23 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks to lift the Gin Kings to their third win in five games.
Earl Scottie Thompson added 15 points, while rookie Rhon Jay Abarrientos and Stephen Holt chipped in 14 and 12 markers, respectively, to bolster Ginebra’s offense.
Ginebra imposed its will early, riding Aguilar’s inside presence for a 23-13 first-quarter lead. They built on the momentum in the second frame, with baskets from Thompson and Abarrientos pushing the advantage to 50-34 by halftime.
Converge attempted a rally in the second half, slicing the deficit to 67-57 early in the fourth. However, timely buckets from Thompson and Jamie Malonzo sealed the deal as Ginebra widened the gap back to 21.
Justine Baltazar finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow Kapampangan MJ Garcia had 12 points for Converge, which dropped to 4-3 in the standings.
Meanwhile, Meralco Bolts made NorthPort Batang Pier pay for their endgame missed free throws to pull off a 105-104 escape over at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
With the Batang Pier holding to a 104-101 lead in the final 15 seconds, Sidney Onwubere missed two free throws before the Bolts cut the deficit to 103-104 on two free throws by Chris Newsome.
NorthPort’s Jiovani Jalalon also misfired his two free throws, which led to a go-ahead basket by Bolts’ Kier John Quinto, giving them a 105-104 advantage with two seconds remaining in the match.
Newsome led the way for the Bolts with 24 points, including three three-point conversions, while Chris Banchero chipped in 23 markers as the Bolts snapped a three-game losing skid to improve to a 3-3 win-loss slate./PN
BOX SCORE:
GINEBRA 85 – J. Aguilar 23, Thompson 15, Abarrientos 14, Holt 12, Malonzo 9, Rosario 7, David 3, Adamos 2, Cu 0, R. Aguilar 0, Pinto 0, Mariano 0.
CONVERGE 66 – Baltazar 13, Garcia 12, Arana 9, Stockton 8, Ambohot 7, Winston 4, Delos Santos 4, Racal 3, Suerte 3, Nermal 2, Corpuz 1, Caralipio 0, R. Santos 0, B. Santos 0.
Quarterscores: 23-13, 50-34, 67-54, 85-66.
