Barangay Ginebra San Miguel rode on a steady effort all game long to stun the San Miguel Beermen, 104-95, in Game 1 of their PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals series on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
What Happened?
Ginebra and San Miguel went practically point for point in the opening frame, with the crowd darlings getting an early lift from seldom-used big man Isaac Go and the Beermen riding on Don Trollano’s explosion off the bench. But it was San Miguel who nudged ahead after one, 26-25, after a Jericho Cruz triple in the waning seconds. The Beermen then looked primed to break Game 1 open early in the second, with Cruz stringing together a three and a four to give San Miguel its biggest lead at 40-31 at the 8:02 mark. Jordan Murphy and Scottie Thompson then connived on a mini 8-0 run to get Ginebra back to within one, 40-39, and set up a back-and-forth finish to the first half that the crowd darlings ultimately won with a 6-0 blitz to end the quarter. After 24 minutes, Ginebra held a 52-48 edge over San Miguel.
Come the third, Murphy and company continued to hold off the Beermen, doing just enough to keep the lead at four to six for most of the way until the end of the third, where Ginebra made it 76-70 heading into the final frame. The reigning Commissioner’s Cup champs then started the fourth with back-to-back baskets for their first double-digit lead of the game at 80-70. A minute later, with Ginebra still up, 80-72, at the 10:32 mark, Troy Rosario and Jeremiah Gray sparked a 14-2 run that pushed the lead to 94-74 with seven minutes left in regulation. That run proved to be the difference as Ginebra fended off San Miguel for the Game 1 win.
Who Stood Out?
Scottie Thompson did it all again for Ginebra, putting up 17 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block for his usual Playoff Scottie numbers. Importantly, he looked for his shot early and set the tone for his team. Jordan Murphy, meanwhile, acquitted himself quite well in his PBA playoff debut, finishing with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks while attacking the Beermen inside and out. Isaac Go starred as well, going off for a conference-best 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, spiked by a couple of long bombs.
San Miguel, in contrast, struggled mightily in Game 1, although Don Trollano and Jericho Cruz gave the Beermen a jolt. Trollano had 21 points and 5 rebounds and went 8-for-13, while Cruz added 17 points. The two also combined for six of San Miguel’s seven treys.
3 Keys to the Game
- Defense. Ginebra’s second-best defense, allowing 94.4 points per game, came through in Game 1, clogging the paint to take away June Mar Fajardo’s inside points and contesting the Beermen’s shooters for much of the game. That defense helped hold San Miguel to just 39.8% shooting and limited Fajardo to only 3 points on 1-for-6 shooting.
- Second chance points. The battle on the offensive glass was actually quite close, with Ginebra corralling 20 offensive rebounds to San Miguel’s 18. However, the crowd darlings made the most of their extra possessions, converting them into 26 second-chance points. The Beermen, on the other hand, scored just 13 off their offensive caroms.
- Composure. For stretches in the second half, the Beermen looked out of focus as they complained to the refs incessantly and kept looking for calls to go their way on nearly every possession. In contrast, Ginebra just kept playing its game and building its lead en route to the win.
Next Up for the PBA: Quarterfinals
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | Ynares Center Antipolo
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