Isaac Go provided the spark as Barangay Ginebra came away with a 104-95 victory over San Miguel to take Game 1 of their PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinal battle on Tuesday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The stretch big man rifled in a season-high 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, helping the Kings seize control in the third quarter toward gaining the head start in the heavyweight series between two traditional contenders.
He knocked down both of his two triples in the said period, the last giving them the 76-68 lead with about 34.6 seconds left.
And not long after, the crowd darlings would break away, inflating the lead to a commanding 94-74 with 7:10 remaining in the payoff period behind Jordan Murphy, which proved insurmountable for their sister team yet long-time rival.
(C) PBA Images
“Skill-wise, hindi naman siya ‘yung talagang pinaka-athletic na player but he uses ‘yung utak niya to play. And that’s a big lift,” lauded lead deputy Richard Del Rosario of the 30-year-old Go, who also tallied four rebounds and a block.
“He followed the game plan to perfection, sinabi na nga ni Coach Tim yun nung first half and he continued,” added the veteran mentor, who attended the postgame presser as head coach Tim Cone was feeling under the weather.
Murphy top-scored for the crowd darlings with a game-high 29 points alongside 11 rebounds, which he also laced with four of the team’s eight blocks.
Former MVP Scottie Thompson produced 17 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, while RJ Abarrientos contributed 16 points with six assists as well.
Troy Rosario (eight points) and Jeremiah Gray (six points, four rebounds) also chipped in nicely for Ginebra, who will try to build a 2-0 lead in the race-to-3 affair in Game 2 on Friday, October 30, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“Ngayon ang challenge namin is if we could sustain it for the rest of the series. Importante talaga na we get ahead in this series,” Del Rosario said.
(C) PBA Images
CJ Perez and Don Trollano finished with 21 points apiece and combined for 12 rebounds to lead San Miguel, who actually led by nine, 40-31, early.
George King made 20 points and eight rebounds while Jericho Cruz added 17 in the loss that also spoiled the formal recognition of June Mar Fajardo’s entry into the league’s 10,000 career points club with a quick halftime ceremony.
Making it tougher for the nine-time MVP was being limited on defense by the Barangay as he only finished with three points on six shots and 10 boards.
The Scores:
Ginebra 104 – Murphy 29, Thompson 17, Abarrientos 16, Go 14, Rosario 8, J.Aguilar 6, Gray 6, Holt 4, Cu 4, Torres 0, Pinto 0, Estil 0, Abis 0, R.Aguilar 0.
San Miguel 95 – Perez 21, Trollano 21, King 20, Cruz 17, Brondial 8, Tautuaa 3, Fajardo 3, Ahanmisi 2, Hernandez 0, Mantua 0, Calma 0, Teng 0.
Quarterscores: 25-26, 52-48, 76-70, 104-95.
