MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings secured the final spot in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals after pulling off a dramatic 102–100 victory over Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Thursday morning at the Khalifa City Sports Stadium in Bahrain.
Down by as many as 11 points late, the Kings mounted a strong finishing kick behind RJ Abarrientos and Scottie Thompson to overturn a 77–65 deficit entering the fourth quarter.
Abarrientos sparked the rally with a flurry of baskets, while Thompson delivered the decisive blow with a clutch three-pointer in the closing seconds that put Ginebra ahead for good.
Rain or Shine still had an opportunity to reclaim the lead and the victory, but Adrian Nocum’s potential game-winner missed, allowing the Gin Kings to escape with the narrow win.
The victory lifted the Gin Kings to a 6–4 record, keeping the team in contention for a Top 4 finish and a twice-to-beat incentive in the playoffs. Titan Ultra Giant Risers bowed out of the quarterfinals contention as a result.
Abarrientos finished with a game-high 25 points, including 12 in the final period, while Thompson added 16 markers, half of which came in the fourth quarter for the Gin Kings.
Stephen Holt chipped in 15 points, with Norbert Torres contributing nine, while Japeth Aguilar and Jeremiah Gray each ended with eight markers for Barangay Ginebra.
Despite the loss, Rain or Shine dropped to 8–3 but remained assured of a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti led them with 14 points, while Nocum and Jhonard Clarito scored 13 apiece.
Over at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, defending champions San Miguel Beermen (8-2) sealed the twice-to-beat incentive with a 135-115 domination over cellar-dwelling Terrafirma Dyip (1-10).
Converge FiberXers (7-4), on the other hand, halted their two-game losing skid with a 107-95 overtime victory against NLEX Road Warriors to move closer to the twice-to-beat berth./PN
BOX SCORE
GINEBRA 102 — Abarrientos 25, Thompson 16, Holt 15, Torres 9, J. Aguilar 8, Gray 8, Cu 6, Rosario 6, Estil 5, David 4, Pinto 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 100 — Pangilinan-Lemetti 14, Clarito 13, Nocum 13, Mamuyac 11, Tiongson 11, Santillan 10, Norwood 9, Asistio 7, Porter 5, Caracut 3, Belga 2, Malonzo 2.
Quarterscores: 23–18, 49–49, 65–77, 102–100.
