Tim Cone hails Japeth Aguilar for his Player of the Game performance in Ginebra’s rout of NLEX

After a sluggish start to their 2025 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup campaign, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel finally found their rhythm, cruising to a commanding 104–74 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors on Sunday, November 20, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Veteran forward Japeth Aguilar led the charge for the Gin Kings, delivering a stellar all-around performance with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting, along with five rebounds, one assist, and one block—his best output of the conference so far. His dominant play earned him the Player of the Game honors.

Stephen Holt provided ample support with 20 points, while Scottie Thompson flirted with a triple-double, tallying 12 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists. Jeremiah Gray also contributed significantly with nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists, giving Ginebra a well-rounded team effort.

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Ginebra head coach Tim Cone praised Aguilar’s leadership and efficiency, crediting him for setting the tone during the game’s decisive stretch.

BE-GIN AGAIN 🍺

Japeth Aguilar and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel snap their early-season skid with a dominant win over the NLEX Road Warriors in the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations!#PBA50 #PBA50LID pic.twitter.com/K2JsYNl78d

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) November 2, 2025

“That’s the time when Japeth started taking over the game in the middle,” Cone said during the post-game press conference. “When we can get the ball to Japeth in those situations, it makes the game easy for us. Things really opened up in the third quarter—we extended the lead and carried that momentum into the fourth.”

For his part, Aguilar was quick to deflect praise to his teammates and highlighted Ginebra’s defensive improvement as the foundation of their turnaround.

“We worked hard during practice, and it’s our togetherness—our motto is ‘keep working hard, and things will turn around,’” Aguilar shared. “It started with our defense. One good thing throughout the game was that our defense was there. We believed the offense would just come.”

The victory snapped Ginebra’s losing streak and lifted them to eighth place in the Philippine Cup standings with a 2–3 win–loss record. The Gin Kings will look to build on this momentum when they face the Titan Ultra Kings on Sunday, November 9, at the Ynares Center in Montalban.

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