PBA: Ginebra clamps down on San Miguel for big QF opener

Barangay Ginebra put San Miguel on lockdown, holding the Beermen below their scoring average to secure a 104-95 victory in Game 1 of their PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup quarterfinal series on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Gin Kings translated their defense into offense with import Jordan Murphy dropping 29 points together with 11 rebounds, four blocks, and two assists while Scottie Thompson also finished with a double-double of 17 markers and 11 boards alongside six dimes.

RJ Abarrientos chipped in 16 points and six assists as Isaac Go dropped 14 markers to help Ginebra draw first blood in the best-of-five showdown.

"We just really needed to outwork them. Again, we needed to keep the score low and we tried to defend June Mar by committee," Ginebra deputy coach Richard Del Rosario said.

"It's important that everybody wants to get the chance and take turns against June Mar and again, it's not only June Mar. When you are playing a team like San Miguel, you have a lot of problems."

Ginebra broke the game wide open in the fourth, turning a slim 76-70 lead at the end of the third quarter into a commanding 94-74 cushion behind Murphy, Ralph Cu, and Troy Rosario, who fueled an 18-4 run to seize their biggest lead of the night.

But San Miguel, who was averaging 121.4 points per game in the elimination round, answered with a quick 7-0 run capped by a Don Trollano triple from the top of the key, 94-81.

Ginebra kept its composure and had an answer for every San Miguel push, with Murphy tipping in a putback to restore a commanding 100-84 lead.

The Beermen made one last push, unleashing an 11-4 run highlighted by a four-point shot from Trollano to trim the deficit, but Ginebra held its ground to preserve the nine-point victory.

George King, who averaged 33.67 points in the regular season, was limited to just 20 points, while June Mar Fajardo struggled to find his rhythm, finishing with only three points in 36 minutes of action.

—JMB, GMA News