PBA: Barangay Ginebra squeaks past Munzon, Titan Ultra to wrap up Philippine Cup elims

Barangay Ginebra squeaked past Titan Ultra and a late charge led by Joshua Munzon, 108–105, to wrap up the elimination round of the PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ginebra led 102–94 before Munzon made three of four free throws off a Jayson David foul, then drilled a four-point shot to trim Titan’s deficit to just one.

Stephen Holt sank free throws off a Von Pessumal foul to widen the gap, followed by RJ Abarrientos’ free throws from a Fran Yu foul. However, Calvin Abueva knocked down another four-pointer to again cut Titan’s deficit to one with four seconds remaining.

In the end, it was Abarrientos’ free throws that sealed the victory, as Munzon missed his final four-point attempt.

Holt finished with 27 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Abarrientos added 24 points, six assists, and three rebounds.

The win spoiled Munzon’s 31-point effort and Abueva’s double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds.

Barangay Ginebra ended the elimination round with a 7–4 record, good for fifth place, setting up a quarterfinals showdown against fourth-seeded Converge, which holds the same record and a twice-to-beat advantage.

San Miguel, Rain or Shine, and TNT claimed the top three spots and also earned twice-to-beat bonuses, while Magnolia, NLEX, and Meralco finished as the sixth to eighth seeds in the quarterfinals.

Scores:

Barangay Ginebra 108 – Holt 27, Abarrientos 24, Cu 12, Thompson 11, Rosario 10, Torres 8, J.Aguilar 5, David 4, Estil 4, Gray 3, Abis 0.

Titan 105 – Munzon 31, Abueva 26, Dionisio 14, Balanza 9, Flores 8, Pessumal 4, Yu 3, Sangco 3, Melecio 3, Ular 2, Ambohot 2, Ambohot 2, Javillonar 0, Monje 0, Martinez 0.

Quarters: 19-30, 42-55, 73-75, 108-105.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News