2 weeks ago
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February 27, 2025 | 4:03pm
Ginebra head coach Tim Cone gestures after a call during the Gin Kings' clash with the NorthPort Batang Pier Wednesday evening at the Big Dome.
(PBA Images)
MANILA, Philippines — “We did not win anything here.”
Despite drawing first blood in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals clash with NorthPort, Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone underscored that the series is far from over.
Cone and the Gin Kings exploded in the second half to pull away with a 115-93 win over NorthPort Wednesday evening.
After the game, the Cone stressed that Batang Pier is the elimination round’s top seed for a reason, which is why they need to lock in and focus on getting the four wins.
“It's only one game. We'll see how this thing evolves over seven games,” he said.
“We didn't win anything here. We won big and we just had a really good shooting night. They had an off night and those things have a tendency to turn around,” he added.
The two teams were kept in a close game through halftime, with the Gin Kings holding a 56-51 lead.
But Ginebra dropped 32 points in the third, while holding their opponents to just 14.
The lead grew to 30 in the fourth quarter, as the Gin Kings made 45 of their 83 shots from the field, good for 54.2%. The Batang Pier, on the other hand, connected on 36 of their 85 attempts, a 42.4% clip.
But despite this, Cone said that they will just move on to the next game and “put this one away.”
“I mean, they're a team that's played well all conference. And they had two weeks off also, so it can be hard to stay sharp over the two weeks. But they'll get their game together and they're going to come back. They're not the one seed by chance.
"They earned it and they deserved it. This is actually, I think, the first time a San Miguel team has beaten them this conference. I think Magnolia lost twice, we lost to them and San Miguel lost to them. So, you know, they just had a little bit of a letdown tonight,” he added.
“But Coach Bonnie Tan has just been tremendous with this team in terms of getting guys to play their role, playing to people's strengths. And just tonight we defended well, and hopefully we can keep that energy going on the defensive side.”
Five Ginebra players finished in double digits led by Justin Brownlee, who registered 19 points. Troy Rosario added 16 points while RJ Abarrientos finished with 15. Jamie Malonzo and Japeth Aguilar chipped in 14 and 11 points, respectively.
For NorthPort, Kadeem Jack top-scored with 33 points to go with 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Joshua Munzon was the only other Batang Pier in double digits with 10 markers.
NorthPort main gun Arvin Tolentino had just eight points on 2-of-11 shooting. He later told reporters that the series is still far from over.
“We’re still good for now, we just have to watch the tape of the game and then do the necessary adjustments but this is not the time to feel down. I know, talo, tambak, but we have to really stay positive,” he said.
“It’s a long series. It's just Game 1. It could have been an important win for us but that happens e. Forget about this, tomorrow’s another day, another game.”
Game 2 is on Friday, 5 p.m., at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
