Ginebra, TNT go for 2-0; SMB, Meralco eye equalizer

Sports

Games on Wednesday, Jan. 7

(Araneta Coliseum)

5:15 p.m.- Barangay Ginebra vs. San Miguel Beer

7:30 p.m.- TNT vs. Meralco

THE Barangay Ginebra Kings and the TNT Tropang Giga gun for a critical 2-0 cushion while the San Miguel Beermen and the Meralco Bolts try to even things up in the semifinal round of the 50th PBA Philippine Cup.

Game 2 of the separate best-of-seven series will be on Wednesday, Jan 7, with Ginebra and San Miguel facing off in the first game and TNT clashing with Meralco in the main tiff.

Close encounters marked the start of the Final 4 pitting sister teams.

TNT battled back from 21 points down to defeat Meralco in Game 2, 100-95, while Ginebra chalked up its own series-opening win by outlasting San Miguel, 99-90.

RJ Abarrientos fired 23 points and Scottie Thompson produced 20 points, four rebounds, and four assists but it was the second stringers that powered Ginebra through in Game 1 with Norbert Torres, Ralph Cu, and Jayson David combining for 31 markers.

Cebuano behemoth June Mar Fajardo collected 23 points and 21 rebounds but the monster 20-20 performance proved not enough to lift the Beermen, whose 10-game winning streak was snapped with the loss.

San Miguel faltered despite leading by as many as eight points in the third quarter, putting to naught its fightback from an early 12-point deficit.(CCM)