Romwel Anzures

Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson against San Miguel Beer in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals. Photo from PBA Images.

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<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750860208415IMG_7239.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson against San Miguel Beer in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals. Photo from PBA Images."/>Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson against San Miguel Beer in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals. Photo from PBA Images.</div>MANILA (UPDATED) — Barangay Ginebra San Miguel drew first blood in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals.The Gin Kings displayed their &quot;Never Say Die&quot; spirit to complete an 18-point comeback and stun the San Miguel Beermen, 73-71, during their rainy Wednesday evening clash at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.Heading Ginebra was do-it-all guard Scottie Thompson who finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, an assist, and a steal, and this was despite him battling cramps in the push-and-pull affair. However, the 6-foot-1 ace from Digos emphasized that it was their defense that made wonders for BGSM. &quot;Yung defense namin, yun yung dahilan kung bakit kami naka stay sa game,&quot; he pointed out.His head coach Tim Cone mirrored the same sentiments, especially since it was on that side of the court that allowed them to steal Game 1. &quot;Our guys kinda lost their discipline, but Japeth [Aguilar] did a good job of challenging that shot and we were able to secure the rebound,&quot; he said of the 6-foot-9 Kapampangan who tallied a team-high 18 markers on top of nine boards and two assists. &quot;We did a Herculean effort tonight on defense trying to hold them down, but our offense couldn&#x27;t keep pace. So we need to play a little bit more discipline, and it didn&#x27;t hurt that June Mar [Fajardo] was on and off the floor,&quot; Cone added.The Gilas Pilipinas mentor was pointing out how they took advantage of the hobbled Fajardo, as Aguilar blocked the 6-foot-10 behemoth&#x27;s game-winning attempt with only four seconds left in the game.And while Jamie Malonzo missed his charities a few seconds later, Stephen Holt cleaned the former&#x27;s mess by splitting his attempts at the 15-foot-line, eventually sealing the game for Ginebra. Other than defense, Cone also raved about his bench who helped them climb a 43-25 second-quarter disadvantage. &quot;There were special reasons for that, Japeth was struggling with fouls, but we had planned defenses when Troy [Rosario], Raymond [Aguilar], and Ben [Adamos] were to guard June Mar,&quot; said Coach Tim. &quot;Raymond stepped up, and one thing about him is, he is man&#x27;s strong. Despite giving up a few inches, he can hold his ground against June Mar,&quot; he added of the veteran big man who contributed six points, a rebound, and a block.On the other hand, CJ Perez fired a game-high 21 points with seven rebounds, but these included two three-point misses in the end game, attempts that could have won them the game.Fajardo, despite dealing with calf issues in the fourth, still impressed with 19 rebounds, but he was limited to only six points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field. Ginebra will now look to build a 2-0 lead in the Best-of-7 series come Friday, 5:00 p.m., at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.<div> </div><div>The Scores:</div>Ginebra 73 – J. Aguilar 18, Thompson 16, Malonzo 14, Rosario 7, R. Aguilar 6, Holt 4, Abarrientos 2, Pinto 2, Gray 2, Adamos 2, Ahanmisi 0, David 0.San Miguel 71– Perez 21, Tiongson 12, Cruz 12, Trollano 9, Fajardo 6, Ross 5, Cahilig 3, Lassiter 3, Brondial 0, Tautuaa 0, Calma 0,Quarterscores: 19-29, 37-45, 56-60, 73-71.<div> </div><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r0qoPAQ9A3s?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel drew first blood in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel drew first blood in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals.

PBA: Ginebra completes comeback to draw first blood against San Miguel

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PBA: Ginebra completes comeback to draw first blood against San Miguel

Rom Anzures

Published June 25, 2025 10:09 PM PHT

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Updated June 26, 2025 12:08 AM PHT

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