Ginebra spoils Heading’s TNT debut with blowout win

June 9 ------ Japeth Aguilar and RJ Abarrientos powered Barangay Ginebra to a dominant 97–78 victory over modern-day rival TNT, moving them closer to securing a twice-to-beat advantage in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Quarterfinals on Sunday evening at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

The Gin Kings opened the game with a scorching 30–11 first-quarter performance and never looked back, snapping the Tropang Giga’s six-game winning streak and solidifying their spot in the top four with a 7–3 record. They now sit alongside the NLEX Road Warriors (8–2), the San Miguel Beermen (7–2), and the Magnolia Chicken Timplados (7–3).

Ginebra took full advantage of the early ejection of Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, who was thrown out at the 4:13 mark of the first quarter for an elbow to the head of Troy Rosario. The loss of Rosser dealt a major blow to TNT, which dropped out of the top four and into a three-way tie for fifth place with Rain or Shine and Converge, all holding identical 6–4 records.

Beyond playoff implications, Ginebra also spoiled the much-anticipated debut of TNT’s new sharpshooter Jordan Heading, who finished with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting along with three rebounds, three assists, and a steal. “I just don’t think we make too big of a deal out of this game. It’s an elimination game, they’re coming off a six-game winning streak, they played a day before yesterday, so I just don’t think that they were that ready for our intensity tonight,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone.

After briefly holding a slim 17–10 lead early in the game, Ginebra exploded with a 17–1 run that stretched into the second quarter, establishing a commanding 34–11 advantage. The Kings continued to apply pressure in the second half, opening with seven straight points to extend their lead to 61–27—a gap that proved too much for the Tropang Giga to overcome. TNT’s woes were further compounded in the fourth quarter when Poy Erram suffered an apparent knee injury after awkwardly bumping knees with Rosario during a layup attempt at the 6:27 mark.

Abarrientos led Ginebra with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, along with four rebounds and four assists. Aguilar delivered a monster double-double, finishing with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 14 rebounds, two assists, and a block. Stephen Holt came close to a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Jamie Malonzo also added 12 points, four boards, and one assist. Though Scottie Thompson was limited to just five points on 2-of-6 shooting, he contributed across the board with 10 assists, five steals, three rebounds, and a block.

With their second straight win—their first back-to-back victories since a three-game stretch over Converge, Phoenix, and Blackwater—the Gin Kings will look to further improve their playoff standing when they face the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Saturday, June 15, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo to close out the eliminations.

Calvin Oftana led TNT with 18 points, four steals, three rebounds, and two blocks. Kim Aurin contributed nine points, while RR Pogoy and Kelly Williams chipped in eight apiece. The Tropang Giga will now try to keep their slim hopes for a playoff bonus alive when they take on the Magnolia Chicken Timplados in another crucial matchup on Friday, June 13, still at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Scores:

Ginebra 97 – Abbarientos 23, J.Aguilar 20, Holt 12, Malonzo 12, Rosario 11, Pinto 6, Thompson 5, R.Aguilar 4, David 2, Gray 2, Adamos 0, Ahanmisi 0, Cu 0

TNT 78 – Oftana 18, Heading 10, Aurin 9, Pogoy 8, Williams 8, Khobuntin 7, Enciso 5, Nieto 4, Vosotros 3, Erram 2, Ganuelas-Rosser 2, Varilla 2, Heruala 0

Quarterscores: 30-11, 54-27, 74-50, 97-78

Editor's note:

In the first game, Blackwater snapped a six-game losing skid by defeating Terrafirma, 97-82. The Bossing improved to 2-8 (win-loss) while sending the Dyip to their 10th loss in what could be the final game of the team in the league before its sale.

Source: tiebreakertimes.com