The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup semis continued with another Sunday double-header that saw LA Tenorio put up a vintage performance for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Jordan Heading prove he is ready for the big time for the TNT Tropang 5G. Here is a recap of what went down at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
LA Tenorio Delivers Fourth Quarter Magic, Helps Ginebra Extend Series vs. San Miguel
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel leaned on some endgame heroics from veteran guard LA Tenorio to survive the San Miguel Beermeb, 88-87, and send their semis showdown to a winner-take-all Game 7.
Ginebra looked on the verge of defeat early on as the Beermen took control and were still ahead, 70-58, at the three-minunte mark of the third. But a 9-0 run inched Ginebra closer heading into the final frame, where they took the lead, 71-70, on an RJ Abarrientos lay-in on the fastbreak. San Miguel responded in kind, unleashing their own 10-0 blitz to retake control, 80-71.
Then, LA Tenorio turned back the clock. A five-point cluster—a triple that rolled out and then back in and his patented runner—inched Ginebra to within 82-76. Minutes later, he tied the game at 83 with another three before the Beermen got back ahead, 86-85, on a CJay Perez drive. A couple of empty possessions later, Ginebra found themselves down 87-85 with 10 ticks left.
LA Tenorio happened again as he drilled a booming triple off a Scottie Thompson setup to give Ginebra back the lead, 88-87, with 2.6 seconds remaining. Perez then muffed his game-winning try from the four-point line to give the crowd darlings the series-extending victory.
In limited minutes, LA Tenorio fired all 11 of his points in the fourth to lead Ginebra to the win. Thompson, meanwhile, finished with 17 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists as he typified Ginebra’s resilience. June Mar Fajardo led the way for San Miguel with 21 points, 15 boards, and 5 dimes but was largely held in check in the fourth. Perez added 15 markers but was just 5-for-22 from the field.
The scores:
Ginebra (88) – Thompson 17, J.Aguilar 16, Holt 12, Abarrientos 12, Rosario 12, LA Tenorio 11, Ahanmisi 2, David 2, R.Aguilar 2, Malonzo 2, Cu 0
San Miguel (87) – Fajardo 21, Perez 15, Trollano 13, Brondial 12, Cruz 6, Tautuaa 6, Teng 5, Tiongson 4, Lassiter 3, Rosales 2
Jordan Heading Takes Charges as TNT Eliminates Rain or Shine
The TNT Tropang 5G are four wins away from that coveted Grand Slam after disposing of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Game 6, 97-89, to book the first seat to the 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
Jordan Heading, acquired just this conference in a trade for Mikey Williams, spearheaded the charge for TNT with a team-high 29 points on top of 4 assists and 2 steals. Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser added 17 points, while Glen Khobuntin put up 16 points and 12 rebounds in his best game of the series.
The Tropa and Elasto Painters were actually neck-and-neck up to about the last six minutes of regulation. But TNT, lead by Heading and Ganuelas-Rosser unleashed a backbreaking, series-clinching 14-2 run that turned an 80-80 contest into a 94-82 runaway. It was all she wrote from there as Rain or Shine faltered in the face of TNT’s searing endgame finish.
Caelan Tiongson’s game-high 30 markers led the Elasto Painters, who were eliminated in the semis for the third time in Season 49—all at the hands of the Tropang 5G. Andrei Caracut added 15, while Adrian Nocum chipped in 11 in a foul-plagued outing for him.
The scores:
TNT (97) – Heading 29, Ganuelas-Rosser 17, Khobuntin 16, Aurin 13, Oftana 12, Heruela 5, Enciso 3, Erram 2, Varilla 0, Vosotros 0, Galinato 0
Rain or Shine (89) –Tiongson 30, Caracut 15, Nocum 11, Mamuyac 9, Clarito 8, Asistio 7, Santillan 4, Malonzo 3, Datu 2, Norwood 0
2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Semis Continue
The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup semis will continue on Wednesday with a sole encounter at the Smart Araneta Coliseum: Game 7 between Ginebra and San Miguel. The winner of this win-or-go home match will face TNT in the 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
