MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings halted its losing run in the 2023 PBA on Tour with an 81-67 triumph over TNT Tropang Giga last night at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Sidney Onwubere led the way with double-double 21 points and 16 rebounds to go with four assists as the Gin Kings snapped its two-game losing skid to improve to 5-5 win-loss slate.
Jeremiah Gray also contributed double-double 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Von Pessumal contributed 15 markers, with three three-point connections, for Barangay Ginebra.
The Gin Kings went on to lead by as much as 15 points in the first half but the Tropang Giga countered with a huge rally in the third period to take a 51-49 edge but Barangay Ginebra regained a 56-55 lead following an inside hit by Ralph Salcedo.
The Tropang Giga were still hanging around at 65-69 midway in the fourth period but connections from Onwubere and Jayson David and five straight points from Pessumal widened the Gin Kings’ advantage to 81-67 with over a minute left.
Glenn Khobuntin was the lone double-digit scorer for the Tropang Giga with 25 points, with two three-pointers, to go with nine rebounds, two assists and a steal as they dropped to 1-8.
In the first game, NLEX Road Warriors wasted an early double-digit lead before pulling off a 112-104 victory over Converge FiberXers. The Road Warriors hiked its record to 4-5, while the FiberXers dropped to 5-5.
Leading by as much as 17 points in the first half, the Road Warriors saw their lead cut to 72-76 late in the third quarter, but baskets from Sean Anthony and Kevin Alas gave NLEX an 84-80 lead entering the final quarter.
Converge pulled even closer at 90-91 after a triple by Alec Stockton but consecutive baskets from Celedonio Trollano, Alas and Anthony Semerad allowed NLEX to establish a 108-94 edge late in the final quarter.
Trollano top-scored for the Road Warriors with 26 points, including five three-point conversions, Alas added 25 markers, while Anthony and Semerad ended with 23 and 16, respectively.
BOX SCORE:
GINEBRA 81 – Onwubere 21, Gray 18, Pessumal 15, Cu 8, David 8, Pinto 7, R. Aguilar 2, Salcedo 2, Aurin 0.
TNT 67 – Khobuntin 25, Exciminiano 6, Cruz 6, Montalbo 6, De Leon 5, Flores 5, Marcelo 5, Heruela 5, Cuntapay 3, Jopia 1, Alfaro 0.
Quarterscores: 22-12, 44-36, 56-55, 81-67./PN
