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Ginebra, after a 10-day layoff, rides a huge 40-16 start to bury rival TNT, while balanced Meralco fends off a 34-point bomb from Blackwater star Sedrick Barefield to arrest a 0-2 start in the 2025-2026 PBA Philippine Cup
MANILA, Philippines – Well-rested Barangay Ginebra stomped rival TNT down a huge first-half hole before hanging on to a 92-77 blowout breakthrough win in the 2025-2026 PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday, October 15, at the Araneta Coliseum.
Ten days after their lackluster Manila Clasico conference debut against another rival in Magnolia, the Gin Kings this time fired on all cylinders, led by their big-man battalion of Japeth Aguilar, Troy Rosario, and Norbert Torres to mount a 24-point lead, 40-16, midway in the second quarter and never looked back.
Though fearless sniper Simon Enciso tried his best to will TNT back in the game as near as down 11 in the fourth, 76-65, Aguilar and Rosario righted the ship and sparked an 11-2 breakaway to regain a 20-point cushion, 87-67, capped by Scottie Thompson free throws with 3:40 left to seal the deal.
Aguilar tied Enciso with a game-high 17 points to go with 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes, while Enciso laced his line with a 5-of-7 clip from deep in just 17 minutes off the bench over at the losing side.
Rosario churned out a 13-point, 13-board double-double, while Torres tallied a perfect 4-of-4 line with 2-of-2 threes for 10 points in 20 minutes. Thompson, meanwhile, helped six Ginebra players reach double figures with 10 points, a game-high 9 assists and 5 rebounds.
Kevin Ferrer added 13 points in the forgettable loss as TNT slid to a 1-1 slate, same as Ginebra and four other squads in the 12-team league.
Meanwhile, 2023-2024 Philippine Cup champion Meralco finally hit the ground running with a 105-96 outgunning of feisty Blackwater to snap a 0-2 start.
Chris Newsome scored 9 of his team-high 22 points in the pivotal fourth quarter charge to deny the Bossing’s comeback, on a 6-of-9 clip overall and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Five other Bolts scored in double digits, led by 14 points from Cliff Hodge, to go with 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists.
Rookie of the Year runner-up Sedrick Barefield, meanwhile, led all scorers in Blackwater’s descent to a 1-1 slate with 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting and 7-of-10 from three-point land, backstopped by 22 points from fellow spitfire gunner RK Ilagan, who also went 2-of-3 from four-point range.
The Scores
First Game
Ginebra 92 – Aguilar 17, Abarrientos 14, Rosario 13, Thompson 10, Holt 10, Torres 10, Gray 8, Estil 5, David 3, Pinto 0, Cu 0.
TNT 77 – Enciso 17, Ferrer 11, Pogoy 9, Williams 8, Galinato 8, Khobuntin 7, Oftana 6, Ganuelas-Rosser 5, Nambatac 3, Hill 2, Heading 1, Jalalon 0, Aurin 0.
Quarters: 33-16, 45-30, 68-48, 92-77.
Second Game
Meralco 105 – Newsome 21, Hodge 14, Bates 13, Maliksi 13, Almazan 12, Black 11, Quinto 7, Cansino 6, Jose 5, Caram 2, Pascual 0, Banchero 0.
Blackwater 96– Barefield 34, Ilagan 22, Tratter 11, David 7, Mendoza 4, Guinto 4, Jopia 4, Andrade 3, Murrell 2, Panopio 2, Escoto 0, Cruz-Dumont 0.
Quarters: 29-24, 61-39, 84-74, 105-96.
– Rappler.com
