Ginebra outlasts San Miguel, TNT rallies past Meralco to seize early edge in Philippine Cup semifinals

Depth and decisiveness defined the opening night of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals, as Barangay Ginebra and TNT Tropang 5G seized early control of their respective best-of-seven series at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

Ginebra drew its edge from unlikely sources, leaning heavily on its second unit to blunt San Miguel Beer’s firepower and snap the Beermen’s 10-game winning streak with a 99-90 victory.

What began as a tight, physical contest tilted sharply in the fourth quarter, when Ralph Cu and Norbert Torres flipped the script. The frontcourt duo buried four straight triples to turn a slim deficit into an 84-81 advantage, swinging momentum firmly toward the crowd favorites.

From there, RJ Abarrientos and the regular rotation closed the door, with Ginebra’s bench answering the call of coach Tim Cone in emphatic fashion.

Abarrientos led all Gin Kings with 23 points, four rebounds, and seven assists, while Cu and Torres combined for 21 points, accounting for half of the team’s 12 three-pointers.Along with Jayson David’s 10 markers, Ginebra’s reserves piled up 54 points—production that ultimately neutralized a monster night from June Mar Fajardo.

The nine-time MVP delivered a dominant 27-point, 23-rebound performance, complete with three assists, a steal, and a block, but it wasn’t enough to keep San Miguel from falling behind 0-1. 

Scottie Thompson added 22 points for Ginebra, with Troy Rosario, Japeth Aguilar, and Stephen Holt chipping in timely contributions. For the Beermen, CJ Perez and Marcio Lassiter scored 18 and 12, respectively, as the defending champions struggled from deep, hitting just 5-of-25 from long range.

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Nakauna ang Barangay! #PBA50 #PBA50LID pic.twitter.com/T6de1j9yvB

— PBA (@pbaconnect) January 4, 2026

Semis G1 sa TNT! #PBA50 #PBA50LID pic.twitter.com/OV1fSNsOlC

— PBA (@pbaconnect) January 4, 2026

Earlier in the evening, TNT authored a comeback of its own, riding Calvin Oftana’s late-game brilliance to escape Meralco, 100-95, and draw first blood in their semifinal duel. 

Down by as many as 21, the Tropang 5G refused to fold, steadily chipping away until the game reached a tense deadlock late in the fourth.

Oftana delivered the turning point—a three-point play with 2:57 remaining that broke a 91-all tie and shifted control to TNT for good. 

Moments later, he found Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser cutting to the basket to stretch the lead, before calmly sealing the win at the free-throw line. 

Oftana finished with 28 points on efficient shooting, along with seven rebounds and two assists, anchoring TNT’s rally.

Rey Nambatac and Roger Pogoy provided secondary scoring with 17 and 16 points, respectively, while Ganuelas-Rosser posted a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. 

Meralco stayed within striking distance behind Chris Banchero’s 16 points and CJ Cansino’s 14, but the Bolts’ final push fizzled when a contested three in the closing seconds missed its mark—an ending reminiscent of their earlier-season collapse against the same opponent.

With both series now underway, the semifinals head into Game 2 on Wednesday at the Big Dome, where Ginebra and TNT will look to press their advantage, while San Miguel and Meralco aim to reset the narrative in what is shaping up to be a fiercely contested march toward the Finals.

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