MANILA — Depth proved decisive in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings leaned on a fourth-quarter bench blitz to pull away from San Miguel Beermen, 99–90, in Game 1 Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With the Gin Kings staring at an eight-point hole entering the final period, reserves Ralph Cu and Norbert Torres ignited the turnaround by burying timely three-pointers that flipped momentum and pushed Ginebra ahead, 86–81.
The surge forced San Miguel out of rhythm and opened lanes for Rhon Jay Abarrientos, who sealed the outcome with interior baskets and steady free throws to blunt a late Beermen rally.
Abarrientos led Ginebra with 23 points, while Earl Scottie Thompson delivered an all-around effort with 22 markers.
Off the bench, Cu and David supplied crucial scoring with 13 and 10 points, underscoring the Gin Kings’ depth advantage in the series opener.
San Miguel countered with a monster outing from June Mar Fajardo, who finished with 27 points and 23 rebounds, but the Beermen could not match Ginebra’s late-game shot-making. Jaymar Perez added 18 points and Marcio Lassiter chipped in 12 in the loss.
In the night’s other semifinal opener, TNT Tropang 5G showcased its own resilience, erasing a 21-point first-half deficit to stun the Meralco Bolts, 96–95.
TNT clawed back steadily in the third quarter and briefly seized a 76–75 lead on free throws by Jordan Heading. Meralco regrouped behind baskets from Chris Banchero, but the Tropang 5G responded with a decisive push as Calvin Oftana and Henry Galinato Jr. powered a late run to a 96–91 cushion.
Meralco closed to within one on baskets by Chris Newsome, but Oftana calmly sank four free throws in the final moments to preserve the comeback win.
Oftana paced TNT with 28 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Rey Nambatac sparked the rally off the bench with 17 points, while Roger Pogoy and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser contributed 16 and 14 points, respectively./PN
