Ginebra weathers SMB's fourth quarter rally to take Game 1 in semis series

Barangay Ginebra fended off a late rally to eke out a 121-112 victory against San Miguel and take Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinals series in the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Ginebra led by as many as 21 points at one point in the third period thanks to momentum they built in the first half, which saw them close out with a strong 23-12 run punctuated by a dunk from Jamie Malonzo.

But the Beermen slowly trimmed their deficit, ending the third period trailing, 95-80, before going on a 15-0 rampage to open the fourth with Vic Manuel and Jericho Cruz showing the way, allowing them to tie things up at 95-all.

Malonzo and Scottie Thompson gave Ginebra some cushion back knocking down triples as part of a counter-run that made it 105-97, but San Miguel's veteran sniper Marcio Lassiter provided a lift down the stretch with a pair of three-pointers with 53 seconds left.

Malonzo, though, completed two freebies to douse San Miguel's momentum and seal the win.

Christian Standhardinger dominated the paint with his counterpart in San Miguel big man June Mar Fajardo still out with injury, finishing with a team-high 33 points alongside 10 rebounds, five assists, and a steal.

Malonzo chipped in 27 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals while import Justin Brownlee poured in 24 markers, 12 boards, six dimes, two steals, and two blocks as Ginebra drew first blood.

Game Two of the series is on Sunday, March 26, with the defending champions looking to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News