The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup semis continued on Sunday at the Mecca of Philippine Basketball—the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The TNT Tropang 5G were looking to seize complete control against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, while Barangay Ginebra and the San Miguel Beermen looked to break free from a 1-1 series tie. Here is a recap of what went down:
Rain or Shine Blows Out TNT, Gets on the Board in the Semis
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters played like a team that didn’t want to go down a 3-0 hole in the semis, and the result was a 107-86 blowout over the TNT Tropang 5G to get on the board in their series, 2-1.
Rain or Shine started Game 3 like a house on fire, roaring to a 33-15 lead thanks to Adrian Nocum waxing hot early. TNT showed life in the second, getting to within 44-37 on a layup by Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser. But that was the closest the Tropa got to within the Elasto Painters, who scored the last seven points of the first half to push their lead back to 51-37 heading to intermission.
It was Rain or Shine the rest of the way as Yeng Guiao’s wards wrested control of the game with a 33-20 third quarter that further pushed the lead to 84-57 after three. A basket by Michael Malonzo gave Rain or Shine its biggest lead, 86-57, and it cruised to its first win in the series and bounced back from a sorry Game 2 loss in overtime.
Anton Asistio led the way for Rain or Shine, firing a game-high 24 points—most in the second half—on four triples and two four-pointers. Caelan Tiongson continued his stellar play with 16 points and 6 rebounds, while Keith Datu, Leonard Santillan, and Adrian Nocum added 13, 12, and 10, respectively.
Calvin Oftana, Rain or Shine’s tormentor in Game 2, paced TNT with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Glenn Khobuntin and Simon Enciso chipped in 12 each.
The scores:
Rain or Shine (107) – Asistio 24, Tiongson 16, Datu 13, Santillan 12, Nocum 10, Caracut 8, Norwood 6, Malonzo 6, Mamuyac 5, Porter 4, Clarito 3, Ildefonso 0, Escandor 0
TNT (86) – Oftana 16, Enciso 12, Khobuntin 12, Vosotros 9, Galinato 8, Williams 8, Heading 7, Erram 4, Aurin 4, Nieto 4, Ganuelas-Rosser 2, Ebona 0, Varilla 0
Ginebra Cooks Up Third Quarter Storm, Beats San Miguel for 2-1 Lead
Embarrassed in Game 2, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel showed up big time, breaking the game open in the third on their way to a 100-90 triumph over the San Miguel Beermen to take a 2-1 series lead.
RJ Abarrientos, shackled and out of sorts in the first half, led a third quarter storm for Ginebra, making plays for himself and his teammates in a telling 10-0 blitz that gave the crowd favorites a 69-58 advantage. Abarrientos then finished off San Miguel in the fourth, dropping 18 points in the final 12 minutes of Game 3—including a desperation four-point heave that gave Ginebra an 82-73 lead after San Miguel got to within 78-73 on a Don Trollano jumper.
Abarrientos finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, most in the second half. Jamie Malonzo added 20 points and 7 rebounds and played a key role in Ginebra’s strong third. Japeth Aguilar chipped in 18 markers, while Scottie Thompson added 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Don Trollano led the way for the Beermen with his 22 points, including 10 in the fouth quarter and 12 in the second. June Mar Fajardo, hobbled by a calf injury, still managed 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Jericho Cruz and CJ Perez added 11 each.
The scores:
Ginebra (100) – Abarrientos 24, Malonzo 20, J. Aguilar 18, Thompson 16, Holt 10, Ahanmisi 7, Rosario 5, Pinto 0, R. Aguilar 0, Gray 0
San Miguel (90) – Trollano 22, Fajardo 12, Perez 11, Cruz 11, Tiongson 10, Tautuaa 8, Ross 6, Lassiter 5, Rosales 3, Brondial 2 , Cahilig 0
2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Semis Continue
The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup semis will take a two-day break and resume on Wednesday, this time at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Ginebra will look to take a commanding 3-1 lead over San Miguel in the first game, while Rain or Shine will try to build on their Game 3 win and tie the series up as TNT tries to go for the jugular.
