Contenders San Miguel and Ginebra moved closer to another semis stint, as both made short work of their respective foes in the quarterfinals opener.
The San Miguel Beermen and Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings are both a win away from booking a semis seat after picking up dominant victories to start off the quarterfinals.
San Miguel rides on strong first half to clobber Converge
In the first game, the Beermen leaned on a strong first half en route to a 114-96 win over the Converge FiberXers in Game 1 of their Best of 3 quarterfinals matchup. Davon Scott, June Mar Fajardo, and CJ Perez got the fifth-seeded Beermen to a roaring start, building a double-digit in the first quarter and then pushing it to as much as 24 in the second quarter.
San Miguel extended the lead to 31 in the third period, and it proved insurmountable—even as Converge cut the lead to 98-87 midway in the payoff period. Scott, however, would keep the FiberXers at bay, scoring timely baskets to help the Beermen to a 16-9 windup and the win. Scott scored 23 points in another solid outing for San Miguel, who also got 25 points from Perez and 19 from Fajardo. Import Quincy Miller scored 41 for the fourth-seeded FiberXers, who shot a paltry 6-of-41 from beyond the arc.
Ginebra breaks away late to deny Northport
In the nightcap, the Gin Kings also got off to a rip-roaring start, leading by as much as 12 in the first quarter on its way to a 118-102 victory. Super import Justin Brownlee and old-reliable Japheth Aguilar took turns puncturing the hoop as Ginebra looked poised to blow out Northport.
But the Batang Pier engineered a fightback in the second canto behind ex-Gin King Arvin Tolentino, Best Player of the Conference candidate Robert Bolick, and import Prince Ibeh. Northport kept the game close early in the third period thanks to Tolentino’s three-point sniping and Bolick’s crafty playmaking—and even tied the game at 70 midway through the quarter.
Ginebra, though ended the third one a 19-4 to give the Gin Kings a cushion they would add to in the fourth. Brownlee led the Gin Kings with another all-around showing of 39 points, 8 boards, 7 assists, and 4 blocks. Tolentino topscored for the Batang Pier with 29 points, just 2 shy of his career high, while Bolick finished with 21.