PBA: San Miguel ekes out win vs Barangay Ginebra in Dubai showcase

San Miguel eked out an 83–81 victory over Barangay Ginebra as the PBA brought the Philippine Cup action to the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Sunday (Dubai time), part of its 50th anniversary celebration.

The Beermen started strong and led by as many as 14 points, 40–26, at the 2:22 mark of the second quarter after an Andreas Cahilig triple. However, back-to-back baskets from Scottie Thompson and Nards Pinto trimmed the deficit to ten, 40–30, heading into halftime.

Barangay Ginebra then played catch-up in the second half, closing the third quarter at 61–53 in San Miguel’s favor. From there, the Gin Kings launched a 10–3 run to inch closer, 64–63, early in the final frame.

San Miguel managed to fend off Ginebra’s rally until the Gin Kings came within three, 82-79, with 11 seconds remaining after a Scottie Thompson four-pointer.

RJ Abarrientos then fouled Kris Rosales, who split his free throws to make it 83-79, before Japeth Aguilar kept Ginebra’s hopes alive with another basket to cut the lead to 83-81 with three seconds left.

Scottie Thompson had one final look from beyond the arc but missed, sealing the hard-fought win for the Beermen in front of thousands of Filipino fans in Dubai.

June Mar Fajardo led San Miguel with a double-double of 17 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks, while CJ Perez, Juami Tiongson, and JM Calma chipped in 10 points apiece as the Beermen improved to 2–2.

Japeth Aguilar paced Barangay Ginebra with 20 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks, while RJ Abarrientos and Scottie Thompson added 17 and 16 points, respectively, as the Gin Kings absorbed their second straight loss and slipped to 1–3.

Scores:

San Miguel 83 – Fajardo 17, Perez 10, Tiongson 10, Calma 10, Rosales 8, Trollano 7, Teng 6, Lassiter 5, Tautuaa 4, Ross 3, Cahilig 3, Brondial 0.

Barangay Ginebra 81 – Aguilar 20, Abarrientos 17, Thompson 15, Holt 9, Rosario 6, Torres 6, David 5, Pinto 2, Estil 1, Gray 0.

Quarters: 24–16, 40–30, 61–53, 83–81.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News